Heading towards the second half of the summer in 2024 I decided to add two more races to my calendar to help me tune up a bit for the Kodiak 100K. A 50K in the Eastern Sierra near Shaver Lake and a half marathon in the Santa Monica mountains. Both of these I thought of as tune ups for my second 100K attempt that was set for October.

The China Peak 50K kicked off the race series with a straightforward but challenging course: two identical lollipop loops starting at 8,000 feet elevation. Each loop combined a steady climb up a ski run, a middle section of runnable dirt roads, and a technical climb before descending back to the start/finish area. The small field size created a relaxed atmosphere at the start line. As we began the first climb, I found myself gradually pulling ahead while trying to maintain an easy effort. It was an odd feeling being in front—I kept glancing back, expecting to see other runners, but the trail behind remained empty. Once I reached the top of the ski run, the course opened up into some enjoyable dirt road sections. The elevation didn’t seem to be causing any issues, and I settled into a comfortable rhythm. The temperature was rising, but the running felt smooth through the first half. Around the halfway point, another runner caught and passed me with steady pacing. I let them go, focusing instead on maintaining my effort level and managing the descents conservatively. I hit the halfway point at two hours, right on track for my goal time of 4:30.

The second loop revealed my main mistake of the day: I hadn’t properly accounted for hydration needs at altitude. The dry air meant I wasn’t visibly sweating much, which led me to drink less than I should have. The consequences became clear during the second climb, when muscle cramps started appearing. What began as minor twitches evolved into full leg cramps that forced me to stop completely. A few times, the cramps were so sudden and severe that I fell over and would need to wait them out on the ground, stretching the entirety of my leg out before I could continue.

Despite the cramping episodes in the second half, I managed to keep moving forward steadily enough to finish, but not at my target time. Coming in second place was an unexpected bonus, though the experience taught me some valuable lessons about hydration and pacing at altitude. It was a challenging but rewarding way to start the race series, and I left with a clear understanding of what to adjust for the next race.

The Boney Mountain Half Marathon offered a different kind of challenge: compression. Used to the long, steady rhythms of training at this point it felt like a flash in the pan, I found myself trying to adapt to a race that felt more like a sprint. The course stretched out before me like a highlight reel of what makes trail running great—technical singletrack, flowing descents, and enough climbing to keep things interesting.

For the first few miles, I ran with the lead pack, studying their pacing and trail choices. The group moved with purpose, each runner finding their line through the technical sections while maintaining a conversation-ending pace. Eventually, the pack thinned out naturally, and I found myself alone in second place, a position I’d hold to the finish.

The shorter distance created an interesting puzzle. My ultra-trained legs kept waiting for the familiar settle-in point—that moment when you find your groove and start ticking off miles. Instead, the race ended just as I felt warmed up. Crossing the finish line, I had that curious sensation of being simultaneously spent and fresh, as if my body hadn’t quite figured out how to calibrate effort for this compressed format.

The high points came on the descents, where the faster race pace transformed familiar trail running into something closer to controlled flight. Without the need to conserve energy for dozens more miles, I could let gravity do more of the work, taking advantage of momentum through the turns and drops. These moments of flow, though briefer than in an ultra, carried their own distinct satisfaction.