Granted it is only my 3rd or 4th time there, but today I completed the entire 5.1 trail loop at Bear Creek for the first time. It's around 500 feet in elevation gain to the top of the ski slope and very technical with a lot of rocks and switchbacks.
The first time I ran there, I was able to go about 12 minutes before walking. Two months later and I ran the whole loop in just over an hour. That's some progress. It is tough early on because it really climbs. I took it easy and got through the first climb feeling relatively fresh. It didn't wear me out like the last few times.
The second steep section around the two mile mark, really got to me again. I wanted to walk at times, but I knew I was near the top, so I kept pushing through. It is really encouraging when you get to the one part of the trail with snow making equipment next to you. You can look down the ski slope and see how far you've come. That section is still tough though because it is steep and rocky. I made it through and could recover a little.
I didn't look at my watch much and the first two miles just flew by. I was really looking forward to hitting a new stretch though. By the time I reached the final climb, I was pretty beat. I'd never gone that far on the trail though and I was near the top so I just kept pushing. I knew once I was at the top of the slope, I could relax because it would mostly be downhill at that point. It was a huge relief when I hit the open ski slope at the top. Someone was fixing equipment there.
The trail went by someone's house. They had a fire going. Then it dropped steeply before winding through the woods again. The last two downhill miles just seemed to fly by. The first three miles uphill seemed like 90% of the effort and time. I was finished before I knew it. I actually found where the trail came out too. Last time, I got lost when I tried going the opposite direction.
I was surprised to find that there weren't more issues with the trails. There were no big fallen trees. Just a lot of leaves and small branches. That did make it tough to see rocks and the trail at times. It was muddy in spots, but not very often. All the bridges over the small streams were fine. Someone was walking the trail and cleaning it up too. There wasn't much for him to clean up though.
It was a big relief to finish this loop. Last time, I was nearly done before getting semi lost. I also had chafing issues then. This time, I did early on, but they went away. The temperature was pretty nice and I didn't sweat too much, especially considering the climb. I'm glad I'm not doing the 16K here in October. I'm getting better, but two loops around the trail will be tough to do by then. I can probably do it, but it would be tough in race conditions.
After looking at the Run for the Diamonds elevation profile, I decided I need to start working the hills in more. Tomorrow, I'm going to run South Mountain over by Lehigh. That is about as close to a climb as I'll find around here to compare with the Berwick course. It'll be good practice and I plan to run it a lot between now and Thanksgiving.
5.11 miles - 1:01:29 (12:01 pace)
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