Sunday, April 11, 2010

1 For 6

I was finally able to get my California Jinx out of my system. I've never lost an Ultra marathon anywhere other than California but in California I had lost all 5 that I had run before yesterday. Hopefully this is the start of at least two California wins in a row.

The American River 50 went pretty well yesterday. It felt a bit too much like a road race for my liking, but I had a lot of fun with it nonetheless. I felt good most of the day, but I never felt really confident for any long periods of time. I kept wanting to find the kind of groove that I got into last November at Mountain Masochist but I couldn't ever quite get there for more than a few minutes at a time. I felt better as the tougher terrain came up in the last 20 miles, but unfortunately for my liking the tougher terrain was still pretty smooth and flat. I was physically pretty tired at this point, and at times felt like I was stuck in mud and could hardly move, but mentally it felt really nice to be on trails and climbing up and down a little bit.

When it was said and done I was able to pull away for the win (I took the lead for good with about 18 miles to go and never saw another runner after that) and squeak across the finish line in just under 5:50. I was very pleased with my race from a competitive standpoint, but I do still feel a little like my body is in early season form and will hopefully feel stronger and stronger as the season moves forward. Or perhaps it was the 30 miles of pavement that made my body feel a bit "off".

21 comments:

Jeff B. said...

Great job and an incredible time. Look forward to seeing your time at the top or very near the top at WS100. Good luck!

Bryan said...

Congrats on a nice run Geoff!! Looking forward to your return to Juneau. Trails are opening up so you won't have to spend too much more time on the road. See ya soon.

Bryan

David Johnston said...

Proud of ya Bud, wish i coulda been there
Wasilla, dave

garobbins said...

Yet another amazing result! Congrats Geoff, hasn't anyone ever told you that 100 mile demons aren't supposed to dominate 50k & 50mile races too!

Can't wait to see what you do at UTMB! Hopefully you're ready for the heat in lake tahoe come June!

GR

Jayme Burtis said...

Much respect and all the congratulations on a solid run. Keep it brotha.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your win! Many more to come I'm sure!

godfreyfolsom said...

Geoff,

Couldn't tell how you were feeling, but you looked fantastic the entire race. Your time for the last 10 miles blew many of us away. Congrats on a fantastic race. We'd love to have you back in California soon.

Steve

Scott Dunlap said...

Sub 5:50 is crazy fast! Nice transition to the roads. And the California curse is now lifted, just in time for Miwok and States!

Glad to hear you will be around for Miwok...I think you'll find the climbs to be more up your alley.

SD

JOLUfromMA said...

Amazing.... congratulations Geoff! You are missing the perfect weather in Juneau, tho.

Joan

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Good luck with the racing this summer!

Libby said...

Congrats Geoff on yet another win! Can't wait to see you back in JNO.

Rod Bien said...

Wow.
Amazing run against a stellar field. Nice work. Have fun preparing for Western.

Billy said...

Congratulations Geoff - great performance. Can't wait to see you throw down at that stacked field in Miwok. Good luck - don't get lost!

Anonymous said...

Am I missing something; I wasn't aware you were running Miwok? It'd be nice to meet you there if you are but I don't remember you mentioning you were running it and you're not on the entry list.

Spent a good chunk of time on my run Sunday chatting about how you've wedged yourself into a commanding position atop the ultrarunning field.

Michelle said...

Awesome job Geoff! Haley and I will be in Bear Mt. to root you on! Love you

Michelle said...

Oh yeah! Happy birthday tomorrow! ;)

Mom said...

Hi, We are wondering about Miwok also - you are not planning on running that one are you?

Great race this past weekend - Happy Birthday tomorrow - we love you and wish we could be together to celebrate your birthday but we will see you at Bear Mountain in a few weeks.

Love you lots,
Mom & Dad

Mom said...

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y !!!!!! Hope you have a great day and wish we could be together to celebrate 34 wonderful years of you. Will see you in a few eeeks. Love you so much.

Collin said...

Geoff, what's the deal with Miwok? Are you actually running it? It'd be great to see you and Tony go head to head.

Unknown said...

do you ever come to haines? you've been an inspiration, helping me maintain my running mojo during the winter months (relatively new to alaska)...
so happy for your success!

Eric@URP said...

I'm still wondering...are you running Miwok? The suspense is killing me!