Farley's Furloughed Fat Ass Fifty: April 15th, 2020

 I have always thought about doing run from our apartment in Northwest San Francisco to the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais which is about ~25 miles away by mostly trail.  Due to the COVID pandemic I was furloughed from my job around mid April to mid June.  I immediately recognized this as a great opportunity to complete this mission.  I had my route all planned out and was praying there would be water available on the course.  Since the pandemic was only about a month in and the parking lots at the parks were closed I was unsure whether the bathrooms would be open etc..  Anyway, I decided to find out and would have enough water with me to last awhile and I could always call Jess for a ride if the worse case scenario happened.  Like many of us I was definitely in a weird place mentally and needed a big effort like this to clear my head and reflect on everything going on.  The furlough allowed me to get out there during the week which was a good thing because I knew there would be a lot less foot traffic on a Wednesday.  The run ended up being very spiritual and the water was on at Mt. Tam and in the Headlands.  The last 15 miles on the way back were very tough as I was extremely tired and exhausted as it turned out to be a sunny and warm day.  Rather than break this run down I am going to copy and paste an article that I wrote for Medium about this day.  I will post pictures at the end.  

Here is my article titled "Ultrarunning, Creativity, and Gratitude in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic"-----

"As a trail and ultra runner, or maybe more of an ultra walker, I am tuned into the world of this niche sport. The definition of an ultra run is any distance greater than a marathon, so basically longer than 26.2 miles. In March all of the ultrarunning races within the near future were cancelled due to limits on social gathering. People who enjoy the pain of endurance running immediately came up with creative ideas for virtual ultra races and similar challenges. Live video streaming of these virtual ideas became popular along with other activities such as live music and talk shows. One particularly inspiring idea was a “Quarantine Backyard Ultra” conjured up by Personal Peak, a running company based in Canada. The Original Backyard Ultra concept was created about six years ago by a race director in Tennessee, Gary “Laz” Cantrell, and his event became so popular that other race directors started their own Backyard Ultras. The format consists of all runners doing a 4.167 mile lap every hour on the hour. You must complete the 4.167 miles before the end of the hour and can rest with any remaining time until the next lap begins. If you fail to complete the 4.167 miles before the end of the hour or don’t start the following lap at the top of the next hour then you are disqualified. The event will continue until there is only one person left in the race.

 Personal Peak threw together their idea for the virtual backyard ultra within a couple of days. It was free to enter and would be conducted over Zoom as each runner would set up a computer or iPad showing a streaming video of their home base. Some people were going to do it on a treadmill and others were going to do it outside. Either way you had to show proof of your result at the end of each 4.167 miles by taking a picture of your treadmill results or uploading GPS data to Strava, an exercise social media platform. Since everyone’s spring races were cancelled there was an overwhelming number of people that signed up for the Quarantine Backyard Ultra. There were 2,400 runners from across the globe, including many elite runners, who would be starting this quest on the Saturday morning of April 4th. Personal Peak also figured out they could live stream the event by broadcasting the Zoom feed over YouTube and Facebook live so that anyone could watch and interact with each other through the comments section. It really was a gift to be able to shift our anxiety about the pandemic towards the camaraderie of the community and humans in general. I did not find out about this event until a day before it started so there was not enough time to logistically plan for and run it; however, I gladly tuned into the live stream on and off all weekend. 

There were some interesting and creative folks out there, especially since the local lock down orders were stricter in some countries. One runner set up a small route in a closed coffee shop and did thousands of loops around the perimeter of tables and chairs. Another runner was actually doing tiny loops around his living room and measured to accurately know how many circles he had to do in order to achieve the required distance. There was a runner in Sweden, based in a tiny cabin North of the Arctic Circle, and she did laps around a frozen lake. Its mind blowing what humans come up with sometimes and it definitely held my attention throughout the weekend. Fifty hours into the event only two people were left dueling it out for the coveted trophy, a golden roll of toilet paper! Throughout the day on Monday I was taking breaks from work to check on the results. Two runners were heading into the 63rd hour with 258 miles under their feet and one of the guys did not start his treadmill at the top of the hour which was a rule violation. There was a technical glitch on his iPad and he did not hear the virtual bell sound which went off at the top of each hour. The other runner completed his 63rd lap and was declared the winner after going 262 miles! Both runners wanted to continue and could have easily gone much further but Personal Peak called the race completed because they adhered to the rule. I was fascinated by this event and how it brought people together. I felt inspired to do something on my own but I had to be careful due to the challenges of social distancing. At the time I was still working and doing something on a weekend would be tough because that’s when everyone around here seems to go outside.

I was furloughed from my job on April 11th and a plan was quickly put into place. The idea of doing a self-supported run from our apartment in San Francisco to the East Peak summit of Mt. Tamalpais, and return home, has been on my mind since moving here in 2018. It was a distant thought during normal life circumstances but always lingering in the back of my mind. In order to keep with the social distancing requirements a Wednesday seemed like the perfect day as the trails would be reasonably quiet. For the next few evenings my lap top was devoted to creating the route, incorporating my favorite trails, and making sure the total round-trip distance equaled fifty miles. All the logistics were set and on a Wednesday morning at 6:15 AM I set out on my journey.

There were only a few people out on bikes this early as I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and took in the view of the San Francisco skyline as the morning was coming into existence. I had a bunch of podcasts downloaded and was going to listen as I worked my way through the run but I was so deep in thought that I did not have a desire for technological stimuli. I climbed up and down the hills of the Marin Headlands, crossed through Tennessee Valley, and eventually made my way up to the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais. The only time I turned airplane mode off from my phone was to check in by sending my wife Jessica a picture from the top of Mt. Tam letting her know I was looking back in her direction. 

So many thoughts raced through my head throughout this run about everything going on. As I made my way back along the coastal trail to Muir Beach, I began to feel the familiar mental and physical pain from all the elevation gain and miles under my feet. Climbing out of Muir Beach was very challenging. I focused my mind to what our healthcare workers and first responders are dealing with and came to the realization that my temporary pain was insignificant. My ultra marathon would be over in a few hours but their ultra marathon has been going on for quite some time with no end in sight. The gratitude for these selfless heroes gave me a boost of energy. I work with a lot of healthcare professionals and my mother is a retired a nurse and father a retired firefighter so I have always had a deep appreciation for these folks. That appreciation has risen to a new level in the current circumstances of our world. I also thought of all the grocery store workers and so many other professions who are still going out there and doing their jobs through this wild time in our life. We have come to expect and deal with certain types of disasters but I can’t imagine a virus was on the forefront of many people’s mind. Navigating back through the Marin Headlands toward the bridge I was reduced to an extremely slow foot shuffle and a lot of walking as well. When I got to the bridge, I was excited as there was only a few remaining miles between me and a shower followed by our couch. 

While crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on my way home I reflected on my personal journey throughout the day but also started to think about positive aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, we’ve held Zoom video hang outs with friends and family on a weekly basis and attendance has been great since everyone has time. It has been years since we have spent this much time with them and it’s conveniently done through technology. Society is usually so busy that it’s eye opening when folks are forced to take a step back from crazy schedules and maybe play a game of cards or watch a movie together. In some way there is a feel that we have gone back in time. It’s also moving how people are pitching in to help out with food banks or in anyway they can. For instance, my mother has made thousands of masks for healthcare workers from her home in Ohio. Finally, the creativity of humans is what makes us a unique species that can inspire each other. Whether it’s a virtual backyard ultra or a family making a funny video together it gives me much hope for the future. The most important lessons I have learned is that we need to stick together, maybe slow things down once in a while, and really show gratitude for the unsung heroes in our society."

Pics from the run:

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day 50K: Feb. 29th, 2020

Nice views from Dogmeat

This race in the South Bay mountains takes mental and physical toughness to a whole new level, the term sadistic comes to mind as an accurate description.  Ram convinced Shaun and myself that it was a good idea to sign up.  The entry fee for the race is $0 and it's completely self supported.  In order to reach the start line for the race you have to do a two mile hike with 1,000 feet of climbing.  To add to that challenge you have to carry all your personal "aid station" supplies with you on this hike.  We were expecting full sun exposure today with temps in the 70s so I knew that I would need some cold beverages and water for what we were about to undertake.  I froze some water and gatorade which I would put in a cooler with some food to take to the race start area.  That was a heavy cooler to carry up there but I knew it would be worth it in the grand scheme of things and it definitely proved to be!  I met Shaun and Ram in the parking area and we carried all our stuff up that hike to the start line.  There was no official race start time, in fact, everyone knew the objective of the day and would have GPS watches to track our time etc.. so you could get out there at anytime of your choosing.  Looking back on it now I think I would of preferred to get out there super early and do part of the race in the dark cooler weather.

Such an appropriate message!

So, your probably wondering what the actual course of this race consists of.  Well, there is a climb in this area called Dogmeat, it's basically a 1.5 mile trip up with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.  The race starts at the base of Dogmeat and the concept is simple: go up the climb and come back down and keep doing that pattern 10 times!  The downhill was not easy either, it is an uneven fire road which is very steep at times, your body really takes a pounding when you run down this thing.  I knew this sounded horrible before I even signed up so I have no idea why I ended up trying it.  I guess the fact that it would test me mentally and physically was appealing and peer pressure also had something to do with it.  I met Shaun and Ram at the parking area around 6:00 am.  We hiked up to the base of Dogmeat with all our stuff and got started right away.  To my surprise there were already a few people up there who had started before we did.  The first trip I did without trekking poles and after that I knew I was in for a long day.  The second trip I started using my trekking poles as I needed the help on the steep parts of the climb and they also assisted on some of the steep downhill sections.  Shaun and Ram seemed to be climbing a lot stronger than I was.  The downhills were beating up my quads very badly and all the pressure from the pounding went straight there as I was nursing a sore knee.   

The pacifier is hilarious

I wanted to slow down and told them to go ahead and I would just do the day at my own comfortable pace.  They pretty much denied me of that request but they did slow down for me which I was thankful for.  Shaun was nursing an injured hamstring so he was about the pace as me after a few trips up and down.  On the 5th trip up, the sun was out in full force and it became quite hot which added to the discomfort of this thing we were embarking on.  I was really happy that I had frozen some gatorade and it really hit the spot after each trip down Dogmeat.  Some a-hole was drinking the water that Shaun carried all the way up Dogmeat and didn't even ask if it was ok.  Most people in the ultra community are top notch.  I don't think this guy was an ultra runner.  In fact, I think he only did like 2 out and backs.  It put us in a bad frame of mind but we didn't have enough energy to get worked up over it.  

The last steep part of Dogmeat

This was just a brutal race from start to finish.  There was one big tree on the climb about 3/4 of the way up and it provided just a tiny bit of shade however it was a great place to take a little break each time up Dogmeat.  We started calling it the Tree of Life!  There were maybe 30 other people out there doing either the full 50K or just doing a few trips up and down and it was fun to see these people over and over.  We would just look at eachother and smile because we all knew how brutal this really was.  I think the 8th time up about broke me and I didn't really have any desire to do two more trips.  Once that was done the 9th trip was motivating because we knew only one more after that.  The last trip was very satisfying as we knew that we were almost done.  On the way back down the 10th time Ram slowed down right at the end to wait for Shaun and I ran past him to finish, not because I wanted to finish ahead of them rather I just wanted to be done with this nonsense!  I still get teased about that to this day, I just had to be first and I saved my energy burst until right at the end etc..

So glad that nonsense is over!

We did the 10 out and backs on Dogmeat...30 miles and 10,000+ feet of climbing in under 8 hours which I thought was extremely good considering how tough it was.  After crossing the finish line I was so damn grateful to be done.  All we had to do was hike two miles back to our cars while carrying a bunch of crap..haha.  This race absolutely destroyed my quads.  I was signed up for the Marin Ultra Challenge (MUC) 50 miler which was only two weeks out and I had zero idea of how I could even do that race.  Within this time COVID-19 had started spreading more rapidly in the U.S. and they decided to cancel the MUC 50 just a few days before the race so the pandemic made my decision for me.  In fact, pretty much all the races in California ended up getting cancelled after this point in time so I was happy to get two races completed in 2020 before COVID mania swept the world.  I don't know if I will ever do this race again as it seems like a good thing to do once and then never again. However, I am easily swayed by peer pressure so if any of my friends wanted to do it then I would unfortunately follow along like an idiot!   

Sean O' Brien 100K: Feb. 8th, 2020

I signed up for this event because Shaun and Ram were doing it and I thought it would be cool to have a nice challenge to start 2020 off right.  This is one of the toughest races I have ever attempted for several reasons.  It takes place in Southern California (Malibu Creek St. Park) which is a hot and sunny climate even in early February.  There is over 13,000 feet of climbing in the 100K and very strict cutoffs.  I know my own abilities and figured that even with good training that it was going to be a toss up if I could finish this one.  We didn't get serious with training until December.  We got a few 30+ mile training runs in and then two weeks before the race we did a 40 mile training run.  It seemed as if training went pretty well and we were ready to tackle this beast.  I grew more confident in my ability to finish this race after feeling good on these longer training runs.  Although the 40 miler two weeks before may have been a little to ambitious as the recovery time from that training run was fairly limited.

The race started at 5:00 AM which meant we had to get up really early in order to arrive in time to check in and get our race packets.  All of us flew in on the day before the race.  I felt bad for Ram because his flight got delayed and he arrived really late.  I was able to get about 4 hours of sleep the night before the race which was not ideal but it could of been worse.  It was cold out at the start line and I was embracing it because I knew it was game over once the sun came out.  The run got started right on time and off into the dark hills we went.  The pace was steady at the beginning but about a mile or two in we came to the famous river crossing and there was a really long line leading up to it.  In fact we stood there for a few minutes waiting and I was getting nervous because I knew how strict the cutoffs were.  After we got through the river we were facing a fairly large climb.  Our pace was good up this climb and the views of the sunrise and surrounding areas were incredible.  I was not feeling bad in these first five or six miles but I was not really feeling great either.  I knew it was going to be a long day and I would need calories and it was probably best to get them in early before the heat came.

Flipping off the sun just angered it

After leaving the first aid station we had a bunch of rolling trails.  Another big climb and then a really nice long smooth downhill which we bombed down to the aid station at mile 23.  We had a really good pace going at this point.  It was really starting to get hot out as the sun moved overhead.  The course is completely exposed and the sun was blazing hard.  I think I ate too much food at this aid station because a sluggish feeling came over me.  We were facing a huge climb over the next 9 miles and I wanted to make sure I had enough calories.  As we started the climb my legs just gave out and all my energy was mysteriously zapped.  I could not keep up with Shaun and Ram and they were charging up the climb.  They got to mile 31 before I did and they had waited for me.  That was a long hot 9 miles with no aid stations in between.  The mile 31 aid station had run out of water!  That's not a good thing to happen in a race where the sun has been blazing on runners for a few hours and they desperately needed some water.  I was glad I had filled up my 3 liter bladder before that climb because I still had some water left.  They did have some bags of ice there so I filled up the rest of my bladder with ice.  It actually worked out pretty good for me  I was still hurting though leaving his aid station.  We shuffled to the next few aid stations and by the time we got to mile 40 I was pretty far gone and our pace had dropped off big time.  Those guys were telling me how badly people were hurting at that last aid station.  One guy decided to dropout of the race and called an Uber!  Very comical since we were in the middle of nowhere and I am surprised he had a cell signal!  We had a good laugh over that.

I was toying with the idea of dropping down to the 50 mile race, they give you that option at mile 44.  Shaun and Ram helped me get that negative thought out of my head.  I decided to give the rental car key to Shaun because I was hurting so bad that I couldn't keep up with them and I figured they would finish before me.  It was going to be dark and cold by the time we all finished so they would need to be able to get in the car to stay warm while waiting for me.  Over the next few rolling miles I fell further behind those guys as I just didn't have anything left and couldn't keep up with them.  I wanted them to go on because I didn't want to be the reason they would miss a cutoff and not finish the race.  I really gave it everything I had but did not make the cutoff at mile 44, in fact I missed it by 8 or 9 minutes.  I assumed that Shaun and Ram had made the cutoff and continued on with the 100K course.  The nice thing is they let you drop down to the 50 mile race if you fail to make the cutoff here.  So it was 6 miles to the finish, mostly downhill except for a climb out of the aid station.  I power hiked almost the whole way because I was so spent.  I was happy to cross the finish line and put this day behind me.  After I finished it became dark and the temperature dropped big time.  I then realized that Shaun had the rental car key..doH!  All I had to keep warm was a long sleeve t-shirt and thin pair of gloves.  There were no structures with heat at this park.  There was some warm soup which I would get a bowl every 45 minutes or so to try and warm up.  I basically just sat at a picnic table and shivered for a few hours.  I was really hoping Shaun and Ram were going to finish because I know that I held them up throughout the race.

I began to get worried when there was only 10 minutes to go before their cutoff and they had not come in yet.  Then 2 minutes later some headlamps came into sight and it was them!!  I was so happy they were able to finish and also excited to get the car started and get some heat turned on :)

This was an extremely challenging race for many reasons.  First, there was a ton of climbing, even with the 50 mile race I totaled over 11,000 feet of gain which is quite a bit.  Second, the sun in southern California is relentless and it's a very exposed course.  Finally, the cutoffs are very strict and hard to make.  It was extremely disappointing to not finish the 100K which I had set out to do however I have come to terms with it.  I am also please to finish the 50 mile course in about 13 hours which is pretty decent for myself.  After the race we hit up Chipotle and I ordered a bunch of food as I was starving.  The next morning I went to down to demolish the free hotel breakfast and I met another guy who ran the race.  Oddly enough he told me that he tried to call an Uber at mile 31 but he ended up cancelling it.  It was him!! I met the guy that called the Uber..haha.  He ended up continuing on and did the same thing as me, had to drop down to the 50 mile race.  

I am finishing this race report almost a year after the fact and little did I know that about a month later our lives would be turned upside down by a global pandemic.  I did get one more race in before the shit really hit the fan and I am about to complete that report as well.