Change is unavoidable in life. It can be a great thing because change often means moving forward. It means it's time to move on to the next chapter in life and become a better version of ourselves. But change can also be hard because it can be overwhelming. When things change abruptly, it can take a big psychological toll on us. Our brains use a lot of energy to adapt to a new routine which can leave us exhausted and drained. Even for people who embrace change, it can be a lot to handle. People cope with change in different ways, often by doing things that relax them. This is why I believe it's important to have hobbies. We all need something we enjoy doing as a way of hitting the psychological reset button and decluttering our minds. With the changes that have been going on in my life lately, I thought what better way to clear my mind then to run a 50K ultramarathon?
Noble Canyon 50K start
In the early morning hours of September 6th, 2025, I found myself driving down the 5 freeway to the start line of the Noble Canyon 50K. The race takes place in the town of Pine Valley, about an hour east of San Diego in the Cuyamaca Mountains. I had just passed through San Clemente, and I was enjoying the tranquility of the quiet, dark freeway, with the Pacific Ocean to my right, and the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains to my left. I always enjoy the car rides to ultramarathon start lines. The ride there is quiet and calm, while the ride home is often more rambunctious with music playing in the car and a lot of reflecting on how the day went. I stopped at a remote 7-Eleven store for a second cup of coffee and a package of Pop Tarts for pre-race fuel before arriving at the start area shortly before sunrise. It was a good day out on the course. I reflected a lot on the last couple of months and unloaded a lot of thoughts on the trail that had been taking up too much space in my mind. More on that in a little while, but I got what I wanted out of this race: a finish, and a chance to declutter my mind. But I got more than just that, because every ultramarathon has a story. The course was beautiful and was mostly on single track trails. This race had a little bit of everything in terms of scenery: A little alpine forest, a little high desert, some small ponds, and lots of great views. The weather in this area of California can get quite hot at this time of the year. Fortunately, on this day, it was warm but not sweltering. Most of the runners were from the San Diego area, but I met one guy who was from the Chicago suburbs. He was in Southern California for a work conference, and we traded stories about living in Chicago. Those were some pretty fun years of my life. I found myself reflecting on some of those memories as I continued along after we parted ways at an aid station.
Approaching the halfway point
At around mile twenty-one, I came up behind a runner who was standing still in the middle of the trail. I asked him if everything was okay, and he just laughed and said "dude, this fucking snake will not move". I looked, and sure enough, there was a small rattlesnake coiled up right in the middle of the trail about six feet in front of us. Rattlesnakes normally avoid humans as much as possible, and with two-hundred runners out there, I was surprised he was just hanging out in an open area like that. I grabbed a small rock off the trailside and tossed it in the snake's direction. The goal was not to hit the snake, but to get his attention. It usually works and they slither off the trail shortly afterwards. But this guy wasn't moving. "I tried everything man, he just doesn't want to move" the other guy said. It seems silly for two grown men to be standing on a trail, too scared to run past a snake, but trust me, it's not a good ideal to screw around with rattlers. They normally only bite if they feel like they need to, but we don't know what they're thinking. Not only do their bites hurt like hell, but the venom that they release into your system can produce short term symptoms such as swelling, nausea, dizziness, and other fun symptoms. And if bites are left untreated with antivenom, you could risk doing long term damage to your body. I tried tossing one more small rock towards the snake, but he was unphased. He just looked at us as if to say "is that all you got?". Within a few minutes, another runner came up, and then a fourth one. The fourth guy had an idea that none of us thought to try. "Hey bro, let me borrow your trekking poles real fast" he said to the first guy. He took the trekking poles, reached forward, and picked the snake up off the trail, like two giant chop sticks picking up a giant chow mein noodle. The snake protested instantly. He hissed and rattled as he was forced to the trailside. Even though we knew it wouldn't do any good, we apologized to the snake. "Sorry buddy" we all said. "We know this is your home, but you gotta move". After the runner released him into the brush with the trekking poles, he slithered away passive aggressively and rattled some more just to drive his point home. He may have been pissed, but he didn't get hurt and neither did any of us.
Big smiles while approaching the finish line
After that brief although entertaining episode, the course was mostly downhill to the finish line. I was feeling pretty good up about around mile twenty-six. At that point, the course because steeper and more technical. Going downhill is usually a good thing during races, however when the downhill is steep with rocks and tree roots cluttering the trail, downhill isn't so good. Every step required heightened concentration to avoid tripping and falling. Just when it seemed like the trail would never end, it finally deposited me onto a remote paved road, which I followed for a mile-and-a-half to the finish line. I rallied along, and crossed the finish in seven hours and forty-eight minutes. It certainly wasn't one of my faster 50Ks, but every finish is worth celebrating. I had some pretty painful muscle cramping afterwards, but after a post race beer and some stretching, my muscles slowly stopped tying themselves in knots. No amount of cramping could erase the journey I went on that day. I may have had cramped muscles and been covered in dry sweat, but my mind was at peace. Thirty-one miles, and almost eight hours on the trail had left me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. That morning before the race, I had a lot on my mind. I arrived home that day ready to spend the rest of the weekend with my family and tackle my second week of work at my new job. As long as I can run, I will use it to mellow things out when my brain is ready to go kablooey. When life comes at you fast, run an ultra. Everything will make sense afterwards!
