Notices tagged with tnfecs
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Tantek ()'s status on Monday, 23-Nov-2020 03:07:00 EST Tantek One year & one week ago, I finished my first #ultramarathon race @theNorthFaceECS #ECSCA 50k (actually 53km), my second-to-last race before everything was canceled (last: #TNFECS #halfmarathon the next day).
https://tantek.com/2019/323/t1/did-ecsca-50k-ultramarathon
https://twitter.com/t/status/1196740536201297925 -
Tantek ()'s status on Friday, 22-Nov-2019 17:45:00 EST Tantek 🏅🏅🏃🏻♂️🏃🏻♂️We did it. 3:22:19 @thenorthfaceECS #TNFECS #ECSCA #halfmarathon #Sunday
Dad’s first #halfmarathon #trailrace. My first the day after a 50k.
Clear sky, sunrise start(2). My dad and I jumped into start wave 8. We started in the middle of the pack, passed through the arch, and the struggle began. After a brief jog out of the field and part way up the Marin City suburb street, my legs dropped to a walk before even reaching the first trail.
I power-hiked off to the right as best as I could, letting all the eager runners pass. My dad started to pull ahead. I encouraged him, just reminded him to look behind him every 30 seconds or so and keep me in sight.
Pacing dad become chasing dad.
We reached the Alta Bobcat intersection and saw a friendly group cheering us. Among them one of them recognized me from yesterday, and asked didn’t she see me yesterday, I said yeah I did the 50k, and am pacing my dad today, motioning in front of me with a grin. This seemed to catch her attention, and she ran up to catch us.
She ran up ahead to my dad and asked if she could interview him. He had just taken a photo of me(3). After her interview she ran back to me and introduced herself, Brianna (who I’d later find out was @brisacksy from LA, mutual friends with @jussnessinaround! Small world indeed).
The race leaders, having finished their down-and-up loop, passed us on the way to the first aid station. We reached the shady forest at the top of Alta trail and I almost caught my dad again.
At the Alta station we topped off our waters, and headed down the moderately steep Rodeo trail. Memories came flashing back from ECSCA 2014 where this very trail was the long downhill of the marathon relay, my first 10k trail race.
Passed a few runners on the way down. Started to close the gap with my dad a few times, yet he kept pulling away. Finally caught up at the second aid station at the bottom of the downhill, and we started power hiking our way up the Bobcat trail.
I hadn’t felt hungry until then, and since this was the last big uphill I tore open a Simple Energy packet and ate it.
Finished our Rodeo Bobcat trails loop, once again hiking up to the top of Alta trail and down through its shady forest. My dad once again turned to take a photo of me(4).
Topped off my water at the Alta aid station where one of the station volunteers warned us that we were behind pace for the cut-off.
Even though technically we were about 5 minutes behind that cut-off checkpoint, I was a little annoyed at being told (hoping my dad didn’t hear it and get discouraged), as having just ran the mostly downhill subsequent six miles the day before, I knew we would easily make it to the finish before the four hour cut-off.
Onto SCA trail we went. Single-track and a bit rocky, it’s the most technical part of the ECSCA half marathon course. Being more familiar I took the lead and my dad followed, til he caught up to me on the brief uphill where you get a great view of San Francisco, the bridge, the bay, and the 101 Freeway. Back to the rocky descent I started to close in on him again.
A race volunteer directed him down the left turn towards the bridge. I’d almost caught up and he took off down those stairs, opening up a bit of a lead again. This was it, my last chance to actually catch him before the Golden Gate Bridge. I focused as I had the day before and started leaping downward as quickly and deftly I could, passing others in pursuit of my dad who had somehow also picked up speed. Caught him on the last switch back, and we crossed the road together onto the brief bit of trail before the bridge.
Apparently there were enough of us running the half marathon that The North Face was able to reserve the West side sidewalk on the bridge just for racers. It was pleasantly warmer than the day before, with a nicer Pacific Ocean view. Once again the concrete path was no fun to run on, so dropped down to a power-walk, swinging my arms forcefully for extra forward momentum. My dad pulled away again, and took another photo(5).
Only near the end of the bridge did I start running with another racer who wasn’t sure where she was going. We realized we needed to cloverleaf under the bridge back towards the finish. Race volunteers where there to direct us yet again. I had my whistle ready, the warm sun had really brought out the toursts.
No need to use the whistle, we were able to get past the tourists with some kind requests or yelling out “on your left!”. I saw my dad enter the sweeping downhill path toward The Warming Hut. Last chance to catch him, so I pushed extra hard. He paused briefly and whistled for me, seeing me approaching he kept going. By the time he reached the steps I was mere feet behind him. As he hestitated for the tourists, I launched down them as I had the day before.
Last chance to build up a lead before he’d catch me again on the flats. At the bottom of the steps, race volunteers were once again stopping traffic so we could crass. Dad caught up to me on the gravel path to the field, and we stuck together for the remainder. Tight right turn from the gravel onto the Crissy field green to the finishing chute. Told my dad to step carefully and look out for the gopher holes.
With mere yards to go we grabbed hands and raised them up as we crossed the finish line(6) under bright blue skies.
We finished in 3:22:19 with almost 13 miles, and just over 2000' climbed. Easily beat the four hour time limit. Walk in the park. Like a typical Saturday morning SFRC run. Sore feet but otherwise I felt fine. Nothing else hurt.
My #50miletraining has begun.
Epilogue: Afterwards we walked around, loosening up our legs. My dad grabbed a seat and elevated his legs. I walked a bit more to round up my total distance to an actual 13.1 miles half marathon (We’d only ran ~12.8 miles at the finish line), and also just to savor a moment reflecting on back-to-back race days(7).
We picked up our drop bag with clean clothes and extra layers, though we’d already dried off in the warm sunshine. I decided to check The North Face merchandise tent, felt I’d achieved enough of a feat to pick up something to commemorate. They had a nice “coordinates shirt” with the latitude longitude of the race finish, however were out of medium and large sizes.
I found a plain medium blue sports shirt and asked them to add the coordinates, as well as 50k & 13.1 Finisher heat decals on it. While they were preparing it I pulled out my second red ECSCA t-shirt from packet pick-up and asked for the same double finisher decals. Took a shot the next morning with my #ECSCA2019 #medals for #medalmonday(8).
Still feels surreal that I finished both races, and felt fine. I can only imagine how unfamiliar it might feel in the future, when the memories fade.
I know I have a long hard training cycle ahead for my first 50 miler, with its own ups and downs. When I'm feeling down or having doubts, I’ll be putting on one of these shirts to remind myself of what’s possible.
#runner #WorkHardDreamBigDoCoolShit #InstaRunner #TrailRunner #UltraRunner #GrassRootsGear #NovemberProject #NPSF #LetsDoThis #2019_321 #20191117 #latergram #nofilter -
Tantek ()'s status on Saturday, 16-Nov-2019 00:30:00 EST Tantek ⛰🏃🏻♂️ This is it. #50ktraining & waiting just under a year for tomorrow’s 2nd chance @thenorthfaceECS #ECSCA 50k #trailrace. Good luck to everyone #trailrunning #TNFECS 50mi 50k marathon & relay!
Canceled last year due to smoke, I ran the course a week later (https://tantek.com/t4xf1 after rains cleaned the air) unsupported and it was the hardest thing I’d ever done.
Fitter & a bit lighter this year, I feel trained, though not as much as I’d like to be (September & October travel made it tough). Yet I know these trails, and I know my body. The air is clean this year, and the weather is looking good.
I’m focusing on finishing healthy in the course time limit to make it official. Going for smoothness over speed. Looking forward to starting with so many friends from near & far and seeing even more at Crissy field.
#ultra #ultramarathon #runner #running #workharddreambigdocoolshit #instarunner #trailrunner #ultrarunner #grassrootsgear #novemberproject #NPSF #letsdothis #nofilter
Previoulsy: my most recent (22 mile) long run: https://tantek.com/2019/307/t1/sunbeams-glitter-fern-creek-footbridge -
Tantek ()'s status on Thursday, 17-Oct-2019 15:30:00 EDT Tantek 30 days til #TNFECS#Marin50k. First “official” 50k race. Feeling reasonably trained for it. Last weekend’s 30k felt fine despite pushing, a day after running 7 trail miles. Travel makes training challenging.
Prev:https://twitter.com/t/status/1092197119048466434https://tantek.com/2019/034/t1/signed-up-ecsca-50k -
Tantek ()'s status on Sunday, 21-Oct-2018 16:30:00 EDT Tantek 🌄 Magical sunrise[1], clouds, & fog on yesterday’s #TNFECS#ECSCA#50ktrainingrun. Started before #sunrise, ran up Fox, looked back to see the sun break over the headlands[2]. The view from the top of Fox looked like a different land[3], no sign of SF except a small tip of Salesforce Tower.
Looking down Coastal Fire road at the longest of shadows[4], before descending right back into the clouds, their tops lit by the rising sun[5]. Ran quite a ways under cloud cover until emerging on Coastal Trail[6] on the way up to Cardiac Hill far above[7] where I snacked and joined up with Morgan who caught up with a couple of friends
After a team-running-inspired speedy descent into Muir Woods, and rapidly navigating the maze of trails (from last week’s memory), cruising down the Sun Trail, trees for days[8]. Another speedy ride down Dipsea, a tough climb, down a fire road to Muir Road, then unwinding the path back to Tennessee Valley for a brief aid-stop at the car.
Finally up Marincello on tired legs for the extra miles to hit marathon distance, then inspired to get more vert up to the top of Alta Trail, turning around before its forest descent[9], running out side trail for views of Angel Island and Alcatraz before running back to the car as fast as my legs would take me.
27.3 miles and 5978' done. The farthest and most climbing I have run / power-hiked, and my last long run before my first 50k in four weeks.
#sunrise#run#trailrun#runner#trailrunners#trailrunning#powerhike#searchforvert#teamextravert#runners#optoutside#getoutside#neverstopexploring#npsf#fromwhereirun#marin#marinheadlands#latergram#nofilter#2018_293 -
Tantek ()'s status on Monday, 08-Oct-2018 12:54:00 EDT Tantek Beautiful day at #SFRC this past Saturday. Practiced a few #ECSCA 50k trails: Fox, Coastal Fire, Marincello, Bobcat.
1. Up Fox taking in a westward view
2. Down Coastal Fire Road looking south, a low hanging cloud with a surreal reflection on the ocean
3. Muir Beach
4. Touching the surf
5. A furry caterpillar seen going back up Coastal Fire Road
6. Top of Fox trail before sprinting down to Tennessee Valley
7. Up Marincello looking East
8. Down Bobcat toward Alta (saw a baby snake!) with glimpses of downtown San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Sutro tower on the distant horizon.
~14.3 miles, 2900'+. Legs felt pretty good despite climbing 1000'+ at #NPSF Friday hills the day before. Finally broke 100+ miles in the past 30 days. Six weeks til my first 50k.
#run #trailrun #runner #trailrunners #trailrunning #powerhike #searchforvert #teamextravert #runners #optoutside #getoutside #neverstopexploring #tnfecs #npsf #fromwhereirun #runwild #marin #marinheadlands #latergram #nofilter #2018_279