KALKI AUTAR

The baton was a bib on a stretchy belt. We were careful not to drop it, of course, tee hee, but the clip was broken and I had to knot it as I ran, then start my watches and commence the climb. The trail switch-backed its way up the side of the valley, and for a while I could catch glimpses of other runners, above and below, as we worked our way up. But this would not last, since the top of the ridge was hidden in cloud. I was winging the pace, running at about 88% Max HR, threshold pace, with the Garmin showing speeds ranging from 10:30 to 11:20 or so. Not bad for the gradient. At the top, the fog closed in, and I started up the ridge, the so-called Ocean View Trail, heh. 400 vertical feet done, only 900 to go, yay! I picked up the pace a little. Begone, you elevens, only tens and nines from here to the top! Diana, my opponent on this leg, started with a hefty lead, and is no slouch, so my chances of catching her looked dim, unless she blew up on this hill. I looked ahead hopefully. The fog was getting thicker, my spooky little world had a radius of about 30 yards of trail, low scrub and an occasional big rock.Hey, I was catching someone! Oh, not a runner, but a mountain biker in low gear. Passing on your right! Not often I get to say that to a cyclist. Later another figure came into view. A runner, but not Diana. Oh well, picked up a place, anyway. I slowed a little, since it was getting really thick and there was a turn coming up. Heres a group of hikers looking intently at a map and Theres the Dipsea Trail marker!The Dipsea rolled for a while, then started downhill. Check the Garmin: 6:20 pace. Yup, Im fast downhill, but not the fastest. One guy actually passed me here, so I lost that place Id gained.Most of it was not that fast though. There were some sharp turns and steep parts. The fog thinned, and took on color. That blue tint to the left must be the ocean, but what the heck was that diagonal white slash in front? Was I about to be kidnapped by aliens? Clear air revealed it to be the surf at my destination, Stinson Beach. Still more than a mile away, and a long way down, but a welcome sight.Then into the trees, and it got really steep, with switchbacks and stairs. A short uphill came as (almost) a relief after all that quad-workout. Three hikers stood aside and applauded as I stormed up the slope.Another fast bit, then a road, and a turn to the finish.I ran my leg in 55 minutes at an average pace of 8:12. We were 13th out of 25. The B&Bs were 11th, beating us by 5:55. But we were the 2nd all-masters team! I could have done it better, I think. Hmm, could get a taste for this trail racing game