North Face Endurance SF – Half Marathon

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On Sunday, I completed my first endurance race in 4 years, running the North Face Endurance SF – half marathon trail race in a time of 2:53.44. I had signed up for this race in 2018, but smoke from the Paradise fire caused it to be cancelled. This year the race was on, but the lack of rain showed in the scenery, which a lot of dust. The few places where we ran through shade, were beautiful as dew led to more greenery and interesting scenery. Overall, I was thrilled by my performance, given the relatively low expectations I had set for myself in advance (i.e. hoping that I would finish within the 4-hour time limit). The race had gorgeous views, as promised, and was hilly and grueling with 2,400 feet of elevation gain, also as promised. Below, I’ll share the changes I made in my preparation for this race that led to a great experience.

Fitness Preparation

In the months leading up to this race, I hiked Rancho San Antonio’s PG&E Trail 10+ times. With ~1k elevation gain, this trail is great preparation to strengthen core and quads for climbing and running downhill. In my last week before the event, I planned to hike Rancho’s Black Mountain trail for the first time. This is a ~12-mile hike that goes beyond the usual turning point in the PG&E trail and enters largely unhiked territory, as I would guess that only 10% of hikers attempt this trail when they reach the PG&E / Black Mountain turn off. However, there were mountain lion sightings, and so this trail was closed off. In fact, the day that I hiked Rancho, a mountain lion was sighted in one of the open areas. The same mountain lion, or maybe a new one?

I also did a few longer runs going from Mariner’s Point golf course going north towards SFO airport, culminating in a 10-mile run. These runs were mostly flat, but were still good practice to get used to running consistently for a few hours without walking.

In addition to my running workouts, I added core workouts in the last month before the race. This was something I hadn’t done in preparation for my previous races, and I think this added tremendous benefits. I signed up for a few Sunday classes at Yoga Health Center in San Carlos for 50-minute core workouts. I’ve learned that core includes more than abs – it includes some elements of chest, back, groin, and quads. Core is important for running, but is even more important for trail running. Trail running involves running on uneven surfaces which requires balance, which requires core strength.

I also switched my insoles from the green super feet to a more aggressive Pulse Power Step orthotic, which has a higher arch but still has the gel foam forgiveness. I added even more height in the arch support by placing a felt metatarsal pad on the arch. Despite a very uneven surface in the run with steep downhills, which normally would have caused a lot of pronation and ankle tendon stretching, I found that my new orthotic kept my foot stable.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, I significantly changed by diet in the 3 months prior. First, I engaged in two fasts (water, herbal tea, salt), one ~40 hour, and one ~ 80 hour. I mostly kept the weight off through these fasts. In the process, I lost about 9 pounds and reached my lowest weight in about 5 years. I modified my diet, reducing carbs and curtailing my late-night snacking. I increased by intake of fruits and vegetables, snacking on carrots and celery when I need to reach for something to eat. At this lower weight, I found running much easier.

Race Day Preparation

A few simple prep steps helped me on race day. First, I was careful of what I ate on the day before, sticking to simple foods and avoiding alcohol. Second, I got to bed early. Third, I woke up early, and go to the shuttle bus early enough to avoid any major stress. Fourth, I dressed super warm with leggings, shorts, inner shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, gloves, and hat). When you’re nervous and it’s cold and dark, it helps (mentally and physically) to be extremely warm, knowing that you can shed layers right before the start. It also helps get the muscles ready to work. Fifth, I didn’t eat any breakfast. North Face’s website recommends not eating breakfast unless you do so 3-hour before your race starts. Avoiding breakfast limits the risk of cramping, lethargy, or general discomfort. I don’t like eating when I’m nervous, as I don’t digest well under those circumstances. Last, I was dressed appropriately for the conditions. At race start, the temperature was in the mid-50s, and the temperature rose to low-mid 60s by the end of the race. I wore shorts, an inner thin shirt which minimizes chafing, and an outer long sleeve shirt. This combination allowed me to stay warm in the early parts of the race, while not allowing me to overheat as the day warmed up. If anything, the outer long sleeve shirt was not strictly necessary. I saw many runners in long sleeve shirts and long pants, and I feel that would have been too warm for me. The only thing I forgot was my anti-chaffing gel, which is a pretty big miss, but fortunately I got some gel at the first aid station and didn’t have any issues.

During the Race

When I signed up for the race, I projected my finish time to between 3:30 and 4 hours, so I was put in the last wave. That’s where I like to be, as it helps me start at a slow pace and gradually build speed as the race goes. I made a critical mistake when running the Portland marathon in 2015. I had come off a fairly good performance in Chicago marathon in 2014, and projected a finish time in Portland that was too fast for my state of preparation and fitness at the time. As a result, being with a faster group, I started too fast and crashed halfway and struggled through the last 13 miles.

In this race, starting in the way back allowed me to pace myself and not burn out too quickly. The first 3 miles almost straight uphill, and I power walked at a good pace. I walked in all moderate and steep uphill segments, ran all downhill and flat stretches, and jogged in slight uphill terrain. I found that my downhill running performance was pretty good and I passed a lot of runners in these segments. I credit yoga with increasing my flexibility to really open up my stride and gain speed during these stretches.

I carried my dolphin pack and stayed relatively well hydrated through the race, taking sips of water where I needed it. I didn’t have any solid food except for a few organic ‘starburst-like’ fruit chewies, and I avoided risk of cramping (except for having half a cup of coke before the last 6 miles, which was not the smartest idea). I did forget to collect hammer gels at the start, which have caffeine, but was okay without these gels. In a marathon, not having these would have been a huge mistake for me.

Conclusion

All of the above strategies led to an enjoyable experience and good results. I had energy in reserve to sprint the last .25 mile, which is a great feeling to know that you have managed your energy well. The finish area was fun as I chowed down on some oranges, bagels and almond butter, and a Sierra Nevada Servaza. I even took a picture with the reps from Waterloo, which is my all-time favorite sparkling water brand. 

Subtle changes in so many different areas of preparation made a real difference, and I know have a blueprint on how to train for future races. I’m glad to be back to running, and am hoping to get back to a cadence of races over the next year. I’d love to do another North Face race, maybe in another state.