It was freezing cold when I looked at the forecast. It was 17 degrees at that point, but probably near 30 degrees when I actually started the run. I may have been a little overdressed, but that's better than being underdressed. I had on a fleece vest over my ColdGear top. I wore tights on the bottom and had on my thickest gloves, along with a headband.I have a 50K on Saturday. Therefore, I didn't want to run too far or with too much elevation gain. I drove to Route 191 again to run the Appalachian Trail. This time, I would head north on the trail. The only time I ran this section was during the DWG Fatt Ass 50K.
It was a decent start. It wasn't too chilly. This section goes along the ridge for a bit and has some rocks, but it is manageable. I cruised along. I saw two hikers early on.
Within the first mile, the trail comes to this awesome overlook. It has an amazing view to the south. I stayed there a bit to take some photos. Then, I was on my way.
This route has a bunch of small ups and downs. Nothing is overly difficult, although it can get rocky at times. I ran this section much better than when I went through there late in the race.
As I was running along, I came across two hikers and their dog, Thor. They told me he was friendly, but I had to stop as he barked at me for a bit. I was then on my way.
Originally, I was going to run out to 2 miles or 2.5 miles in this direction. However, I didn't want to come across this dog again. Therefore, I decided that I would be going out farther.
There were a couple rocks with a neat view to the south and east. I could see over to a tower that I'd end up running to, as well as where the DWG is. I continued along. There was also a pipeline with views in both directions, as well as a powerline.Near mile 3, I came to Totts Gap. That's where the tower was at and also woods road to the bottom. After going through a technical section, I decided to opt for a woods road, rather than continue on the trail.
This road eventually turns into the trail. It was a good section to run smoother. It made the overall pace go quicker. At 3.5 miles, I turned around.
It was good to go back. I was wondering if this direction would be as tough as I thought it was during the 50K. It was time to find out. It wasn't too bad. I'm not quite sure which direction is easier.
Back at Totts Gap, I decided to stay on the road and go around the tower. Going up the Gap is pretty technical, so I hiked some of it. It was good to make progress. I was shooting for hitting mile 5. I knew it would be nice to have 2 miles left in the run.
It seemed like I went up and down, up and down. I didn't stop to take photos this time, so it was much faster. I got to mile 6 and was getting tired, but still moving along.
I then saw the hikers and Thor up ahead. I feared they might stop somewhere with the views for a bit. I was happy to see that Thor and one of the hikers was on the higher route that went toward the shelter. I ran behind the hiker on the AT. Of course Thor ran down the hill to him and I had to stop and walk past him again.
I then had some fun running along the ridge. I was now nearing Route 191. Since I didn't run on the AT on the way back, my mileage was a bit short. Therefore, I ran back across the road and continued south on the other side. I went out a short bit and hit mile 7. I was happy to not see Thor on the way back.
Today was a solid run. It is a good semi technical route without too much elevation gain. Tomorrow, I'm hoping for a short run. I might just go to Jacobsburg for 4 or 5 miles. It should be a good tuneup for a big Saturday race. I hope I can PR there.
7 miles - 1:27:30 (12:30 pace) 983 feet of elevation gain
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