The only real question was how was I going to run. I wanted to either try running the whole loop once without stopping or run two loops. If I did two loops, the second one would start after dark. That isn't the best place to run alone at night.
I figured that I would let my body dictate what I was doing. If my legs felt like crap, I would walk early and make it two loops. If I felt good, I would try to run the whole thing.
I started off and felt good. The first challenging hill was relatively easy. I was just cruising up it and only had slightly labored breathing. It was time to give running the whole loop a try.The weather was quite nice, as it has been all summer. For me, that still means no shirt and plenty of sweat. My shorts were drenched by the end, even though I didn't break a sweat in the first mile.
I heard all this noise and then ran by the LCCC campus and realized that a team was practicing next to the trail. A car was leaving Trexler at the same time as me. The gate was closed, but I went around it.
I went through the rocky section and on to the long, gradual hill. I saw a mountain biker at his car, right before the hill. I came across no hikers or runners all day though. It was a lonely, but peaceful run.
I cruised along, trying not to work too hard. The barking dogs didn't bark too much this time around. The first mile was a 9:16 and mile 2 was an 8:18.
I got to the top with the great 360 degree view and took a rare pause in thought and looked around. It was one of the few moments where I was really engulfed in the trail. The sun was nearly setting over the hills. It was so beautiful.
I didn't have time to worry about the views though. I was on a mission to run the whole thing. I knew the real challenge would be the super steep hill around mile 4. If I could make it over that for the first time ever, I had a chance.
I tried to get up the shorter hills before that by using as little energy as possible. I was ready to go by the time the big hill came around. Still, it is hard to know if I'll ever be prepared.
I worked on using small steps and not focusing up ahead too much. I just took it step by step. I was breathing pretty heavy as I made it through the toughest part. I still had a short, less steep section to get all the way to the top. I made it though and I celebrated at the top!
I was so thrilled just to make it that far. I had never run that entire hill and wasn't sure if I could run it. I almost did last time there, when I pushed the pace more, so I thought that maybe I could.
Although the hardest hill was out of the way, it was far from over. The problem with this course is that it pounds you with hill after hill after hill. It is like taking body blows.
I tried to recover as much as possible before the next hill. If I could get my breathing back close to normal, I'd have a chance. The legs weren't struggling one bit. They felt great at this easy pace.
There isn't too much time before the next hill, so that was a challenge. It took a lot of work, but I made it to the top of this less steep hill too. Now, it was on to the next section.
I anticipated the uphills to be the only problem. However, it was the downhill after these two that nearly did me in. As I was cruising toward the creek, I ducked under some branches and my momentum caused me to fly down the hill, out of control. I nearly crashed, but I survived.
I guess technically I did walk. I wasn't going to run across the creek. I could easily fall and hurt myself. I did move across it quickly, but I was walking.
I knew I was far from out of the woods at this point, but I was in great shape. My breathing recovered and the legs felt good. I guess resting a lot over the weekend likely helped.
Mile 3 was run at 8:17, while mile 4 was 9:57. My slowest mile of the whole run was mile 5, which included the big hill. I ran that in 10:29. That was by far the fastest that I ever went through that mile.
My big concern now was how I would handle this next hill/hills. It isn't steep at all, but it is very long and gradual. After the previous two hills, this one to the zoo usually does me in. I went slow again and battled up it. I made it to the top.
The only problem is that it is tough to tell what is really the top. It turns right after that and goes gradually uphill through some grass. I hate grass, but it wasn't too steep, so I was able to continue on. At this point, I was very confident that I could finish by running the whole thing.
I knew that I had almost 2 miles until the next long, gradual hill. I took all the time I could to recover and go easy. I saw a deer along a flat section and it just stared at me. I ran mile 6 at 9:15.
I was slightly drained, so in between the hills, I wasn't moving as well as earlier. However, I still felt fine in general. There's this relatively easy hill that I knew I'd make it over, but I figured this one would be a test for the tougher hills to come. If I had no trouble with the easy hill, I'd probably be good. If there was some difficulty, I might not make it up the tougher hills.
The easy hill was very easy and I enjoyed it. I was so focused by now. I actually looked forward to the remaining hills. Knowing this course, nearly inch by inch, was certainly a big help tonight.
I took it slow up the next long hill. It was starting to get dark in this wooded section. I was breathing a little heavy, but I made it to the top.
Now, I could recover on the road behind KidsPeace. I figured the rolling hills wouldn't be too much of a problem. They used to be a challenge, but now I find them to be a lot of fun. I got through them with no problem.
There was only one short, but very steep climb remaining. I felt okay, so I couldn't see how this hill could possibly stop me now that the finish was so close in my sights. Just to be sure, I left my handheld next to the trail, by the road. I didn't need it and I wanted to drop the weight.
I took it easy again and this hill was a battle, but I made it to the top. After the steepest part, it levels out, but isn't over. I conquered all the hills and was so happy at this point. Mile 7 was a 9:48 and mile 8 was a 9:15. Only the mile with the steepest hill took over 10 minutes.
I did have one last very short hill back to the Environmental Center, but there was no way that was going to hold me back. I went up that one fairly quickly and ended the loop. I made it without walking for the first time ever! My shorts were soaked and it was getting chilly with the sun setting, but I was thrilled.
I've been trying to run this entire loop for years. The hills always crushed me though. For the longest time, it didn't seem like I was improving any. I often cut through the middle by the zoo, because it was just too hard. As I improved my overall fitness, my ability to run at Trexler improved greatly.
When I came back to Trexler for the first time in months back in April, I ran two speedy loops with relative easy. That's when I knew I was doing well and making a lot of progress. Then in June, I ran a 10 minute PR for the loop with some help and I nearly ran all of it. I knew at that point that running the whole thing was possible. However, I didn't know if I could do it yet or would need cooler weather.
When I was watching the 100 miler over the weekend, I learned a lot. There were some slow people that I couldn't believe were as far toward the front as they were. However, it became clear that they were just staying consistent. I adopted some of that this evening, as I shortened my stride on the climbs and took it even easier than normal. There's no reason to rush up the hills. Taking it easy and not wasting too much energy does the trick. You don't lose too much time that way either. I'll have to try applying this strategy to future races. I can tweak how I run too. This trail running is becoming a fun learning experience.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping for a track workout and another run. I'm not too beat from this run, so I think I can pull it off. We'll see what I have in store. I definitely want to hit the trails more now and work on my climbing.
8.46 miles - 1:19:13 (9:22 pace)
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