Stuff for Things

I'm over race tote bags.
Unless your race shirt is either cotton and normal-looking, or an extremely well-cut technical shirt (like the Mountain Hardware one from Western States!) I don't want it. I have plenty. I'm also good on coasters, and I decline race medals, because seriously. I would gladly accept more socks, a pint glass, or a pair of shorts, however.

I've been in need of a larger running pack for a while. My Nathan HPL 020 is starting to fall apart after 3.5 years of consistent use, in that the mesh of the shoulder straps is shredding.You can't fit a ton of gear in there, either. It's fine for most 100-mile races, but I usually went with my even older Mountainsmith Tailwater (worst name ever) pack for longer self-supported runs or anything overnight. It pre-dates newer vest designs, and it bounces a lot.
Peter Bakwin Adventure Vest 2.0
So I bought Peter Bakwin's pack for longer or unsupported things, like Plain in September.

Mountain Hardware Fluid Race Vest
And I bought the Mountain Hardware Fluid Race Vest for shorter/supported things. iRunFar is getting out of the store business, so everything is 20% off, and I got sucked in. See how happy I look!

Here are some clouds, because Berkeley is awesome, and winter didn't happen this year.



Lastly, I ran the Way Too Cool 50K today. I finished in 4:37, which is my first time ever running a 50K in under 5 hours. The course was pretty easy (4,200-4,800 feet of climbing, depending on who you ask), but still. This was my twentieth 50K, but it was the first one where the 50K was the only event. 50Ks are definitely not worth flying for, so I run local ones, and they're always loop courses in conjunction with 10, 20, and 30Ks. Those are fun, but they're not races. Way Too Cool is a race, with something like 1,200 starters. I was passing people the whole time, I caught up with this freight train of 6 dudes running in lockstep at about mile 20, and I wordlessly slipped into the lead and pushed the pace. I kept waiting to get tired or for there to be a big hill, but neither happened. Great day.

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