Wind Gap AT Run

Since I have no plan, but to enjoy my runs over the next two weeks, I decided to head out on the trails today.  I thought about traveling, but elected not to.  I decided to do something different though.  I opted to run the Appalachian Trail starting at Wind Gap.  I had no mileage plan, but I figured it would be short.

The weather was supposed to be nice and it was.  However, it is still summer.  Plus, this was a challenging run where I was working hard.  Therefore, I was soaked by the end of it, even without a shirt on.

I've run south from here a few times.  That is kind of nice because it is a switchback climb, so not too steep.  This time, I was running north.  I had hiked this part twice before, but never run it.  Both sides were very rocky, so that would make a tough run no matter one.

I started off with a steep climb and was breathing heavy.  That's one thing I don't like about this run, is the climb is early.  You start from the bottom and have no chance to warmup.  With a proper warmup mile or so, I probably could've handled the climb much better.  Instead, I was struggling to go straight up.

I probably spend close to a half mile just climbing.  I was breathing heavy and struggling then.  The problem was that I didn't know how much more climbing I had to do either.  If I knew I was close to the top, I could've kept going.  Since I was unsure, I eventually starting walking.

Once I started walking, I decided to look at my watch for the first time.  That was very, very frustrating because I had not started my watch.  Now, I was starting it from a walk.  Eventually, I made it to the top of the climb.

One nice thing with the AT is that it has tough climbs at gaps, but then a lot of ridge running in between.  While it is challenging, for other reasons, at least it isn't up and down.

Those other reasons I just mentioned became very apparent shortly.  It wasn't long until I was pounding rock after rock after rock.  Many of them are very big too.  I was more like shuffling along now, rather than running.  This was very tough, but also good technical practice.

One of the reasons that I rationalized doing this rocky run was because I know have better trail shoes.  My cheap ones definitely beat up my feet more.  Still, it wasn't easy with these good shoes.  The bottoms of my feet were constantly bashed by sharp rocks.

The one good thing is that it wasn't bad enough that I had to walk.  Still between the early uphill walking and the rocky section, mile 1 was a 15:10 shuffle.

Things got a little better as I got sort of used to the rocks.  What also made it tough was running with my GoPro and taking pictures and videos.  Every now and then, I'd bash the front or side of my foot on a rock and that would hurt briefly. 

Finally, at one point, the trail opened up to sunlight.  There were actually some ferns.  Even this section had some mild rocks.

This second mile (by my watch) actually wasn't anywhere near as bad as the first.  It was much more runnable and I took full advantage.  I passed a couple hikers.  They were nice and I think they might've been thru hiking.  They sure had a lot of gear.

I wanted to turn around at mile 2.  However, since this part was runnable, I decided to keep going until it became rocky again.  Mile 2 was a much faster 11:37.

Finally, at mile 2.12, a bug flew in my eye and I decided to head back.  Later on, another bug did the same thing.  The good thing was they didn't seem to bother me.  I had sunglasses, but couldn't wear them because it would be too dark and I might trip over a rock.

I came to the hikers again.  This time, they were looking at maps at a stone road crossing.  At least they didn't have to move for me.  Mile 3 was a solid 11:52.

I thought this 4th mile would be very tough.  It was the rocky section.  I guess I had adapted to the rocks by now though.  It wasn't nearly as tough as the first time through.  However, my feet were definitely getting sore from the pounding that they were taking. 

I hopped along over the rocks.  I was surprised when I started hitting the ridge line along the edge.  That meant that I was through the worst rocks and it wasn't too bad.  Going downhill was tricky now too.  It was rocky, with loose rocks, and I tried not to slip.  I didn't, but I did come close.  Mile 4 was an 11:59.  I was now running consistent.

The final half mile was mostly downhill and I put on the brakes.  I cruised along, not wanting to fall.  I looked at my watch right near the end and decided to stop at 4.5 miles.  I probably ran close to 5 miles in total. 

It was a challenging run, but this is a section I need to run more often.  The rocks are tough, but they make for good practice.  I want to hit challenging terrain in the future, so this place will be good for me to train at.  I got used to it after awhile too.  It forces you to really concentrate and focus.  Otherwise, there will be lots of falls.

I've enjoyed the last two days of running whatever I feel like.  These were enjoyable days.  Tomorrow morning, I'm going to meet Kelley for a run.  I might do some short track workouts later on too.  I look forward to a good day.  I hope the weather is nice.  I'm back to being addicted to trails and now considering a 50K next weekend.

4.5 miles - 56:45 (12:36 pace)