Pine to Palm 100, "Rest Period", and California Trips

After Hardrock last month my endocrine system was spanked.  It really showed up at Grand Mesa where I was basically just wandering around the course like a blindfolded sleepy drunk.  Though my "breaks" from racing seem like typical intervals for most people's peak racing season, the few weeks of not racing have done the trick.  I've still been able to manage 70+ mile weeks consistently but have kept the intensity on the lower end.  The 50 miles and nearly 9,000 ft of climb pacing at Leadville last week was a good, safe test.  The pace was mellow for the most part, yet still a solid day on the trails and left me with a lot of confidence that I was sorely missing.

I finally got around to looking over the Pine to Palm website, course maps, and elevation chart.  Something tells me that first ascent and the last descent are going to be memorable.  Reminds me of the Bear 100 course only with less overall climb.  I knew it was a stout course but DAMN.  The climbs look amazing and I can't wait to get up there and run some Oregon trails for the first time.

Pine to Palm 100 elevation profile (from the 2011 course).

After P2P, I'll have a couple races in California.  Dick Collins Firetrails 50 mile on Oct 13 and then Quad Dipsea on Nov 24.  I'll be spending more time in CA than when I lived there!

If you're in or near the Bay Area next week, stop by for my running clinics.  Sept 1 is Race Planning and Strategies Clinic held at beautiful Rodeo Beach in Marin County and Sept 2 is my fun Hill Running Clinic held at Tennessee Valley in Marin.  Info and registration HERE.