Big Sur, a race report of sorts
Your plan is to take a trip, a journey, from Big Sur to Monterey, CA. It’s Sunday, what better day for a trip up the coast? Some other people are doing it, so you think – what the heck, I’ll do it too. You start in Pfeiffer State Park in Big Sur, you are surrounded by redwood trees of gigantic proportions, the Big Sur River winds its way along Highway One and the sights and sounds of the woods are overwhelmingly peaceful. You continue north, you start to realize that you’ve left the woods, to the east you see lush hillsides in brilliant shades of green where cows and horses are grazing contentedly. To the west, the ocean comes into view and you pass a lighthouse, high up on a small island, its beam slowly circling – warning boat captains of the impending shoreline. As you continue along the gently rolling Highway One, you begin to climb, the air feels a little more crisp, the fog swirls around the tops of the mountains, hiding them from your view, keeping secret the place you will soon discover as you continue on your journey. You cross over a bridge, where a hundred feet below you the ocean water crashes into the craggy rocks and you realize, you’re starting to climb. You climb, and you climb, and you climb. And you climb, and you climb, and you climb. And then you climb just a little bit more until you realize, you’ve reached the top – you’re at the very highest peak in the road between Big Sur and Monterey – you’ve reached Hurricane Point. You cannot contain the joy you feel when you look out over the guard rail toward the ocean, you feel as if you’ve been given the greatest gift in the world to be able to experience this view, so high above the shoreline. If you reach up, can you touch heaven? Or maybe you’re already there! You look back to where you’ve been and you see a winding road that snakes its way up to where you are now and you are so very thankful that you are where you are and not back where you’ve been.
As you crest Hurricane Point, a gentle breeze helps to cool you as you wind downwards, toward the ocean again, and you can’t believe how fun this is. What an amazing day. The sun begins to peak through the fog as you descend and you soon reach Bixby Bridge and your journey is half over. How can that be? You continue along the now not so “gently” rolling Highway One, you climb, you descend, you climb, and you descend. You pass Rocky Point restaurant and you wonder, maybe I should stop for a drink… A nice cold beer sounds so good right now. Then, what was it that you just passed? Was that the ocean, was there a waterfall? You think you just may have passed a few homes, nestled along the highway, their expansive windows drinking in the ocean view, but you’re not so sure because suddenly watching the yellow line at your feet becomes much more important than the view. One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, up, down, up, down. Did someone tell you that Hurricane Point was the highest hill along this road?
You enter the Highlands area and suddenly there are a few people along the side of the road. They yell for you to keep going, they clap – they’re cheering for you! How cool! Did that man have a mimosa? Can I have one, too?? The road continues, ever forward, up, down, up, down, but now you have a new direction you’re following. It’s banking left and right! How fun - you get to go in all directions. The yellow line becomes your best friend as you continue your trip toward Monterey. You’re close, you can feel it. The road is almost over, are you there yet? Oh, no… Not quite yet. One more up, one more down. One more up, one more down. One MORE up and one MORE down and then you hear it! A voice over a loudspeaker! He’s calling your name, he says you’re there! You’ve reached your destination! There are people to your right and to your left. They’re clapping – they’re cheering – the noise is so overpowering! There are balloons and pinwheels and cowbells and horns. Your journey is over! What a trip! You heart is full and your eyes overflow with tears as they give you a gift for completing your quest. Imagine! They give you presents for doing what you love to do! You’re so proud. You think about all the people who helped you to get there. Your coach who told you to trust your training and made you do hill repeats weekly. The partner in your journey who reaches the end with you smiling and crying, who has woken up in the dark day after day after day to prepare with you. Your family, who has put up with your moodiness and your anxiety and your doubts that you have what it takes to do this, and has supported you, fed you, loved you the entire way. Your friends who in person and online have cheered you on – given you hope, made you smile and rooted you on. You think about them, you think about where you’ve been, you think about where you’re going and you’re at peace because you know, you absolutely KNOW that you can do anything you set your mind to.
So, now to the top 10 lessons I learned from Big Sur:
1. Do NOT drive the course before you run it
2. Do NOT drive it again before you run it
3. Do NOT drive it a third time before you run it
4. Hills look bigger in the car than they do on foot
5. Hill repeats really work
6. Trust your training
7. There’s nothing better than a good training partner who understands your neuroses
8. Peeing in the woods can be fun but stay away from poison oak
9. Take time to enjoy the view and take lots of pictures
10. Life is really, really good
Hugs!
Melisa
