Today I completed the Trexler Nature Preserve Border Trail loop for the first time. The best I was able to do last year was 5 miles. The loop is only 8.5 miles, but it is a bear of a course. The hills seem to never end. It is the site of next month's Quadzilla 15k and if all goes well with my surgery on Monday, I will be re-entering that race.
I slept very poorly last night. Not only did I get home late, but then I couldn't fall asleep. I didn't start sleeping until sometime around 3 AM and I had to be up by 6 AM. I almost considered skipping the run. I really wanted to go though because this is the last good chance for a group run there before the race. I might be able to pull together the BCR to do it sometime, but I wanted to go today. I figured I'd at least give it a try and if I didn't feel good, I'd stop early.
Not only was I tired, but my leg had some minor soreness too. I was nervous that it might cause me trouble on a long and tough run. It wasn't a problem though. The run went pretty well from that standpoint.
The start of the course is tough. It has a steep early downhill, but then there is a big climb following it. I really wanted to run up that, but I just didn't have it in me. I was behind the fastest three or four guys at this point. Two others were able to run up it and pass me. The three of us would end up running most of the route together.
I flew on the next downhill, like I always do. I passed them both back and managed to climb fairly well on the semi short next hill. After that comes some road and a fun rocky section. Following that was the longest climb of the run. It isn't steep, but very gradual and seems to go on forever. Luckily, there are some parts that level off and I was able to recover on those. I managed to run that whole part. Aaron was hanging back for awhile and passed me on this part.
I had put some distance between me and the other runners on the downhill, but they were right on my tail at the top of the climb. I can't remember exactly where they passed me again, but it had to be one of the tough hills on the backside.
I ended up walking most of these hills at this point. It is hill after hill after hill. I could've run up one or two of them, but it was too early in the run to take a chance. I also haven't run most of the back part of the course either, so I didn't know what to expect. I wanted to save something for the last few miles.
The creek crossing was fun. The water was up to about half way up our knees. The three of us crossed together. They continued to leave me in the dust on the climbs and I'd catch up or go past on the downhill.
The section that I've never run actually wasn't too bad. There isn't nearly as much uphill as other parts of the loop. Of course, there are always climbs in this run. I did alright through some of the gradual climbs and it was nice running through the grassland in this section. I was able to catch the other two, but figured there was no point in passing them since they were stronger on the hills.
This was one of the few times I actually ended up talking with them. Twice we sort of weren't sure where the trail went. It was generally pretty easy to follow though. We never got lost.
The three of us then came through the last section that I've run before. On the stone road, it was slightly uphill and I didn't like the terrain so I walked a bit. I got back to running and caught back up to the other two on the winding section. There were some gradual climbs and they really helped to pull me along. If I ran this section alone, I might've been walking.
I was a little disappointed that I had to walk up the second to last climb of the run. It was just too steep though. That's one thing that was frustrating during the run. Even if I wanted to run some of the climbs, I'm just not capable of it yet. I did run up the last short climb though and finished with a brief run to the water fountain.
I was a little exhausted, but again all the walking uphill was a big help. Now I see why a lot of ultrarunners do it. Some of the steep hills did kill me, even walking up them. I was breathing heavy. There's no question that I need to get stronger on the hills. If I stay healthy, I'm going to do a lot of hill work in the next month. I ran a solid pace, but my times really slipped at the end of the run when I had to walk more. I could kill it if I got stronger on the uphill portions. I can fly downhill and on flats.
Although it wasn't uncomfortable and barely noticeable, I'm sure the added weight of my hydration pack contributed to slowing me down. I hate carrying hydration of any type, but I definitely needed it today. The nice thing with hydration is that as you drink the weight reduces and it is easier to run.
Now that I know the course better, it should be a big help in the Quadzilla. I can definitely push the pace more in the relatively flat back part of the course. Just being able to run up a few of the hills would make a huge difference. Although the Quadzilla is over a half mile longer, I'd like to think that I could run it about as fast as this took me today. That should keep me in the top half of the field. Having even more runners around then today should be a big help too.
It's been less than two months since I started back up to running and being able to do this much at a decent pace is amazing. I couldn't even complete the loop late into the summer last year. Of course running with a group was a big help today. Still, I'm doing very well. What I really can't wait for is next year when I can actually race this course. I'll be putting in plenty of runs there between now and then.
Trexler is just such a cool trail to run. There are plenty of amazing views and a good mix of the type of trails you run on. It is easily my favorite place to run. Plus, even though I'm not that strong yet, I love the hills. I love the challenge.
I'm debating whether or not to take an ice bath. So far, I am just icing certain areas. I don't feel too bad. I'm a little sore, but overall fine. Trails prevent all the pounding on your knees that you get with road running. That is a huge help. The fact that I didn't bust my butt either was big.
Tomorrow could end up being my last day that I can run, so I'm definitely going out somewhere. I'll probably do an easy 3-5 miles to recover. It'll be six straight days of running. This week, my mileage has jumped from 20 miles to 35 miles. Not ideal, but I figure I can recover with at minimum a few days off next week. After that, I'll drop down into the low 20s again if I'm healthy. No need to push too hard. I'd like to get into the upper 40s and maybe even 50s this fall. I'll make sure to follow the 10%-15% rule though.
8.5 miles - 1:41:21 (11:55 pace)
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