Today is the beginning of my big training weekend, in
preparation for the 50 miler in two weeks.
The main training will be on Saturday and Sunday, when I hope to run
20-25 miles each day. I wanted to
combine this weekend with some camping and get in some good trail running. Today was a shorter run to test the trails
out here at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
We camped here a few years ago, but I was sick all weekend
and couldn’t run. I wanted to get back
to running this area. The Appalachian
Trail runs through here. The park is
surrounded by a state forest and there are numerous trails. The real trick will be picking the correct
runs. Last week, the trails I ran
weren’t too hilly or technical. This
week, I expect some more climbing.
The weather was nice when I started this late Friday
afternoon run. It was chilly standing
around, but great running weather. I
threw on shorts and a short sleeve shirt as usual. I carried a handheld too, even though I
didn’t expect this to be a long run.
I looked at the map and saw that the AT goes out about 2.5
to 3 miles and then meets up with another trail to the Sunset Rocks overlook. I figured that this would be a simple route
that would get me at least 7 miles, possibly more.
Right on the back of our campground is this Creekside
Trail. It’s only half of a mile and
easy. I figured that it would be a good
way to start. It was pretty with a creek
right next to the trail and among the pine forest.
My legs aren’t terrible, but early on, I could tell they
were feeling the miles from a big week.
This loop was fun. Then, it was
on to the park road. After that, I’d
head on the main road for a short distance and then to the AT. This road section sucked and my legs didn’t
enjoy it. I decided to walk some of it.
The AT is part trail, part road to some small summer houses
in the beginning. They are neat and I’m
jealous of the people that own them.
There was some tough early climbing.
Eventually, I decided to walk uphill. That was mainly because it was early and I
didn’t know what was in store for me. I
wanted to save myself a bit. I didn’t
walk for too long. Soon enough, it
flattened out and I was able to run.
Some of the uphill had water running down the trail. That made for a sloppy run and my feet got
wet. It was fun for a bit. After going uphill, I was disappointed that
the trail went back downhill. I hated
climbing and then dropping back down.
I got several miles out and began to wonder where the trail
to Sunset Rocks was. Finally, I saw a
car in a little parking area. You can
drive to where the Sunset Rocks Trail begins.
I took that trail from there.
There was actually a cool wooden footbridge on the AT right at this spot
too. It went over a creek.
I had to climb a little, but it wasn’t too steep. I ran most of it. I got to a Y and I guess I took the wrong
turn. I wouldn’t realize it until
later. I kept going and the trail
flattened out.
It became a wide fire road with lots of standing water. It was hard not to get my feet wet. I kept going out, but noticed that the trail
was no longer blazed. Earlier, I saw
what I thought might be a spot where the trail turned. As I saw a road up ahead, and didn’t think
I’d cross one, I turned back around.
I got to where I thought I missed the turn, but there was
nothing there. I was confused, so I
headed back on the fire road. I figured
that I could at least take this out to the road. I was over 3.5 miles by now. I had wasted over half a mile in this area.
I finally made it to the road and saw the blue blazes
again. I followed it up the road and
then managed to go behind a house. Then,
it started climbing, so I figured that I had the right spot.
I came to some rocks with a view, but it wasn’t a clear
view. I was disappointed and headed back
down. Then, it dawned on me that I
didn’t see the setting sun. I went back
up the trail and moments later found Sunset Rocks.
These rocks were much bigger and seeing the sun nearly
setting with the mountain behind it was kind of nice. The only issue was that there were a lot of
trees in the way. It wasn’t a clear
view. At least the trees had no leaves
on them. I was kind of disappointed with
this view.
I headed back. Now, I
was at 4.5 miles, but that included almost a full wasted mile. I was glad most of this route was flat or
downhill. Still, I had a little climb in
the middle. I ran a lot of it, but at
one point, I got tired and walked.
I went flying downhill then.
It was a lot of fun. I’m amazed
at how fast trail miles go by. They are
just such a blast. I was leaping
everywhere. I did have to be careful on
the wet section. I didn’t want to slip.
It wasn’t long until I was back to the State Park. I ran on the Creek Trail again. I came out to my camper at just over 8
miles. This run was just about what I
wanted. I told my dad that it would take
about an hour and a half and I was within minutes of that.
There was a little bit of challenging climbing. However, this section was definitely
runnable. I wish the AT by our house was
this easy to run. Tomorrow, I’m going to
try a different route. There is some
easy running to one of the park’s lakes.
Then, if I can get water there, I’m going to try the park’s best
climb. If not, I’ll run back to the
camper.
8.21 miles – 1:25:45 (10:27 pace)
No comments:
Post a Comment