Baldy Run To The Top Recap

A beautiful mountain race celebrating 60 years located in the San Bernardino Mountain range, which climbs 7 miles with 4,000' gain from 6,000' altitude to the 10,064' summit. 

Results: 

1:51:56, 1st AG F40-45, 17th Female, 136th OA of 690

8am start, 68F, 30% humidity // 67F summit // 75F notch

Goals:

• A 1:45 summit - Baldy 2006 race age 21
• B 1:56 summit - training Sep 2023, 62F 10am start
• C 2:30 summit - training May 2025, 73F noon start 

Logic: 

• Goal C was a must. I should be stronger than the start of my 2025 summer trail running season. In May 2025, it was my first Baldy summit of the year, in heat, and I was still nursing bilateral hamstring strains grade II from March 2025 (LAM + Boston).
• Goal B was realistic. 2023 was a strong comeback year for me, post meniscus tear: 2021 was all rehab with 8 months of only walking, 2022 was a gradual come back to races, 2023 was back to speeds from ten years earlier. This pacing strategy would be the most realistic test. 
• Goal A was a stretch. Not impossible. However, now reflecting on it, I might have allowed emotions to get in the way of making the leap for it. If I had been more calculated mentally the 2 days before and more focused during the second half of the race with my pacing, I could have potentially taken off the final 6 minutes to beat my younger self from 20 years ago. This is the beauty of racing. It is a test of how you show up on that day. 

Fueling/Hydrating:

400 Cal - 1/2 wheat bread, PB, honey, walnuts (90min before)

100 Cal - Vital4U shot, supps, pickle juice (30min before)

100 Cal - Maurten gel (start)

100 Cal - Maurten gel caf (mile 3.5)

100 Cal - Maurten gel caf (mile 5.5)

400 Cal - 1st bottle DrinkMix + Electrolit powders (first 3mi)

100 Cal - 2nd & 3rd bottle Electrolit powders (final 4mi)

300 Cal - chips, drink (summit after finish)

100 Cal - 1 bottle Electrolit (notch)

300 Cal - RNWY protein, creatine, pickle juice + Splendor sparkling water (at car) 

2,000 Calories total consumed

1,300 Calories burned (10 mountain miles)

Water Aid stations every 2 miles, Scratch booth at Notch

Discounts Available: 

Vital 4U - NADIA10 

Pickle Juice - NADIA20

RNWY - NADIA15

Splendor - NADIA15

Wins:

1. Did my strongest climb via Devil's Backbone in 1:51 since I have been logging it on my strava, since 2017. I usually create my time goals based on pre-2020 and post-2020 (meniscus tear). I beat Goal B and C. Came close to Goal A by 6 minutes. 
2. My fueling and hydrating were on point given the course, weather, and my individualized needs to not bonk, not cramp, and not feel spent afterwards throughout the day. 
3. Didn't cause more injury or pain to my problematic lower back (QL region) that has been giving me issues these last four weeks approximately, which is the main reason three weeks ago I shifted from mountain training to road training and cut training volume by half. 

Areas To Improve: 

1. Control more controllables days leading up to race day, even for Goal B races. Life, drama, and emotions happen to all of us. The couple days prior to the race, I allowed it to distract me by prioritizing others and it cost me emotional drain, upset, and crying. What isn't seen normally in our race results is the deep emotions that either help us or come into play in hindering our potential. However, this is part of being a competitor. It isn't the only hat that we wear in life and balancing the other obligations of life are important. 
2. Execute a better strategy for the second half of this mountain course. I was smooth and calculated the first three miles running nonstop and did not exceed the effort I planned. However, in the fourth mile, I began to get mentally distracted from the events the last couple days weighing on my emotions and that distracted me to push less. Here is where I could have pushed more to shave one more minute. It is easy to walk when you see others giving into walking. On this course, it's seen as power hiking. By the 5th and 6th mile, I was stuck behind a row of runners on single track sections a couple times and it took a little effort and confidence to ask kindly to pass on the left. Could there have been an additional 90 seconds in each of those miles lost? By the 7th mile, when I saw I would not hit my Goal A of 1:45, I felt deflated. Hard lesson reminder: Keep your mind right. Keep your mind focused. The race is for your goal. 
3. Maybe choose to run with a double handheld vs pack holding 1.5L with additional items. Normally, I race trails from 50K and below with a handheld. Race morning I found myself questioning myself because I had not focused on mountain training for the last month AND the summer was focused on distance mountain running vs speed mountain running. These little differences matter and I need to manage my expectations that I wasn't targeting Baldy. After reviewing my splits and reflecting on the above factors, I know I could have peeled at least 6 more minutes off in those last three mountain miles. 

Overall, I am very happy to have returned to race on one of my favorite training grounds. Max and Bruno's ashes rest at the summit that I finally had the courage to spread on a solo summit earlier this summer in 2025. I will always have a special place in my heart for Baldy. Thank you for reading and hope to see you next year at the 61st Annual Baldy Run To The Top. Feel free to reach out to me if you're looking for an endurance coach or have any questions about my endurance coaching program for roads, trails, triathlon, or ultras.