San Juan Solstice 50 Summary

I figured on writing a summary to SJS50, but between my job and all the traveling and running I've been doing, I haven't had time.
I finished the LT100 Training Camp, but that'll get a wee backlogged. To expedite, I will dump my "debrief log"...

- Dinner from 4:30pm to 7pm, they say, but fact is they were packing up and stopped serving around 6:38pm. So get there by 6pm to pig-out properly.
- Your drop-bags need to be dropped off at the same time.
- Nothing opens in Lake City before 7am, except for race morning: the Moose coffee shop is open at 4am. Don’t order anything with sausage. (They have ham/cheese/egg bagels.)
- Race starts at 5am.
- You need fleece gloves, bike gloves, Mtn Hardwear Elmer Fudd hat and ultra-light wind/rain jacket. Plus one Camelback bladder and one bottle. Take squirrel bag for chips.
- Take one aluminum tent stake for snow/ice arrest
- Warm up to full-speed before the race, and make sure you don’t eat too much. You don’t want to be slowed down heading up the road towards the river crossings. There are traffic jams at the crossings. So you need to be ahead of rush-hour. One woman complained in 2008 that she spent a total of 45 minutes waiting in lines.
- At start, 1 full Camelbak. Bottle should be empty, or have one swallow available in bottle.
- Aid #1 (top of Alpine Gulch) take one cup of water. Eat banana and orange.
- At Williams, get one full Camelbak + ½ bottle for getting to Aid #3 (Carson). Eat banana and orange. Fill squirrel bag with potato chips.
- At Carson, fill Camelbak and bottle all the way. Eat banana and orange. Fill squirrel bag with potato chips.
- At Divide, get one full Camelbak + ½ bottle to get to Aid #5 (Slumgullion). Eat banana and orange. Fill squirrel bag with potato chips.
- At Slumgullion, 1 full Camelbak. Bottle should be empty, or have one swallow.

Even though I had planned to split my hotel room, and ended up solo, this race scared me so much, and I had no experience, that I was stressed. I ended up not offering the extra bed to anyone and being thankful I had zero distractions so I cold focus, get my drop-bags finished, plan and get my "head" for the next day, and get to bed whenever I wanted.
It did pay off, but it was more than I needed. Honestly, if SJS50 wasn't that tough, I don't think I'll ever let a 50 bother me again.
I plan to move at full-speed in 2009.
By-the-way, I heard that registration will be changed to Jan. 15. I love this race so much I was going to require WiFi at any place I celebrated New Years just so I could be ready to register. I registered late on Jan. 2nd and ended up on the wait-list. If they move it to the 15th, I will set my alarm to wake me up at 11:30pm so I can get online.

So you can probably guess that I'm in love with this race? VERY good food at the pasta feed. Not your ordinary pasta. Great organization. Best of all, this race is TOUGH!
There's a trend - the tougher the race, the more fun I have. It isn't about the speed. It's about two things. The views in the wilderness, and how hard I have to drive.

And I guess that's why I keep trying to finish 100. I found my limits. My limits have resided at around 80-87 miles. I "stop having fun" around 70 miles. Beyond that, it's "interesting". I've had a hard life - mostly of the emotional kind - a bit brutal. So I've learned to be a bit brutal on myself.
The right side of my brain feels sorry for myself. The techie/scientist/analytical left part of my mind is totally bored with sniveling and doesn't want to hear it. This latter part of my mind is in charge when I register! The left side is too dumb to comprehend what 100 miles means. The left side tells the right side, "It'll be fun - a grand adventure." And the right side goes, "Oh BOY!!!"
If it sounds like the right side of my brain is a Labrador Retriever, well, PURE COINCIDENCE! Hey, all men are dogs, right? So I can't help it!
Anyways, at the beginning of 100's, the right side of my brain is pulling at the leash. In fact, I complained over the weekend that I was tired of training for the LT100 and wanted to just "get it on". I may not be successful, but I want the challenge NOW! I eat 50's for breakfast! (And lunch and almost dinner too.) And I feel READY!
The left side of my brain is using my body as a sadistic test-bed. "I wonder what will happen if I do... THIS?!" AAAAHHHH!!!! "Golly! What about.... THIS?!! YAAAAAHHHH!!!!

But last year I thought I could finish, Little Engine that I am. So much can go wrong.
Succeed or fail, I LOVE trying!