Bonus Miles

In February when Pacific Coast Trail Runs held their Sequoia 50K trail run in nearby Redwood Regional Park, I decided to run to the start line. This time I ran to and from the race. Total elapsed time was 16 hours: 1/2 hour of biking to get to the hills, 3 hours to get to the start line, 8 hours to run the course, 4 hours to run back to my bike, and 1/2 hour to bike home. My guess is 53 or 54 miles of running and 7 on the bike. Here's the g-map of my route to the start from the last time I did this.

Last time, I wasn't quite sure how to get to the start line since the start is in Joaquin Miller city park, and I only had maps for the neighboring Redwood Regional. This time I was prepared, but I didn't give myself quite enough time. I got to the start about 8 minutes late, which wasn't a big deal. But PCTR holds races in these parks three times a year, and I assumed this course was the exact same as last time. But after 3/4 of a mile I realized that the beginning of the course is done in the opposite direction, so I turned around and started for real 25 minutes late. The late start and all the bonus miles meant that I didn't catch up to very many people, but I did listen to almost an entire book on tape. Good times.

In September when PCTR does their next race in Redwood Regional, the start is on the far side of the park, so I think I'll just bike there.

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