Random “vintage” Shadow running shirts decorating the course for the 20 year anniversary!

I look forward to running Shadow of the Giants every year. I rave about it to running friends, bore my poor non-running friends talking about it, and in general need to set up some sort of affiliate referral program, because I plug this race all. the. time. Shadow of the Giants was one of the first 50ks I did (maybe the second or third?) back in 2005, and I’ve tried to run it every year since, injuries & schedule permitting.

So what makes Shadow of the Giants so special?

Well, the setting is gorgeous, for one thing. Located at the base of Yosemite, the race runs on fire roads and singletrack through towering forests. It’s beautiful, it’s green, it’s peaceful—except for the year I came face to face with a black bear halfway through the run. I think nostalgia also plays a factor, since it was one of my first ultras and one of the pivotal races that got me hooked on trail running in the first place. Mostly, though, I think it’s the spirit of the race. It’s low-key and friendly, and presided over by that most mischevious of RDs, Baz Hawley (who also directs Saddleback, Twin Peaks, and a number of other CA races.) Baz spends the pre-race briefing telling dirty jokes, hassling the regulars, and swearing up a storm, but behind the laid-back act, there’s a well-organized race directing machine.

My first 50 mile race! If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be running 50 miles, I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s been a slow but natural progression, from running a lap around the park to running 3 miles to running 6 miles to training for my first marathon to doing my first 50k. I stayed with 50ks for five years, and never much felt the urge to venture beyond. Marathon to 50k isn’t a huge jump, but 50k to 50 mile felt enormous. When I finally did get the courage to register for my first 50-miler in 2008, I got injured a few months prior and had to pull out of the race. So although I registered for the Rocky Road 50 miler just a few weeks before the race, it was really a distance in the making for the past few years.

Putting the “rock” in Rocky Road

For all the slow buildup leading to this race, there wasn’t any anxiety or drama associated with running a new, scary distance. It’s funny, but I had a really peaceful feeling about this race. No nerves, no doubts. Maybe because I’d been racing so much this spring, or maybe I was just older and wiser and knew that I was ready for it. Whatever the reason, I just accepted the distance and didn’t stress. I even slept like a baby the night before! (That NEVER happens.) The race was in a gated community in Orange County, so I was up at 4 am to drive down for the 7am start. The course was not physically challenging, but it was tough mentally: a hard 5-mile loop on singletrack, then 3 out-and-back sections of 15 miles each to make the 50 mile total.

After feeling so great at Twin Peaks in February, San Juan Trails was a real struggle. On paper it looks easier than Twin Peaks (less mileage, less elevation) but it felt much more difficult. Part of it might have been my body: I was having stomach issues and hadn’t been keeping much food in since Wednesday, including not being able to choke down as much breakfast as I would have liked. I finished most of my oatmeal, but didn’t have the banana or gummies I had before Twin Peaks. Also, I’d only gotten 3 hours of (interrupted) sleep the night before, so I didn’t have as much in the tank to start.

This was a great race—I felt the best I had during a race so far for the 2010 season. It started on a bad note: we’d driven down to Julian from LA the night before, and had horrible traffic leaving the city. The first hour we traveled 13 miles. We finally arrived in Julian close to 10 pm. The B&B was cute, but our room (and bed) was tiny. We settled in to sleep around 11, but I could NOT get to sleep. I literally tossed and turned most of the night. I would guess I dozed around 2am, and got up at 5, with periods of wakefulness in between. So I was exhausted and not feeling my best at the start.