I wanted to go to Tammany yesterday. However, all the elevation I've been doing lately is taking its toll. I definitely could've run, but I woke up sore and thought it was wise to take the day off. I had to put in some good work today though.
I thought about going to Tammany. A group of the T.W.A. was meeting in New Jersey to run gasline repeats. I'm a sucker for elevation, so I headed there. It looked like they might be runnable repeats too.
I got there and it was a little humid in the evening, but there was a bit of a breeze too. I wasn't sure what to wear, so I wore the group's singlet. It worked out okay, but of course it was soaked by the end. I probably should've went shirtless. I'd take this weather any time.
I started off following Dave and this guy Tom. Tom has done this before, so he explained the route to us. He wasn't going fast, so I took the lead. I tried to start off easy, not knowing what was ahead.
A lot of it was flat in the beginning, with a few rocks. It was very runnable. The middle section got quite steep. Once it got to the point where my breathing was labored, I decided to hike. I didn't hike too much and I was able to run again.
I ran past someone, Sally, who had started earlier. She was hiking as I ran by. I ran most of the way up. There is this flat part that I guess people often turn around at. I kept going, because the trail was still going uphill slightly. I was running now, as I was through the steepest part.
I didn't know where to turn around, so I just finally did so when I got to this post. It was around a mile out. It was about 400 feet of gain for each repeat. Solid, but not tough. If I really pushed myself, I could've run the whole way.
Of course, it was fun to run back down. I did sort of feel a little pressure, as I was leading the way. I saw everyone on the way up. Dave wasn't too far behind. I took a nice and comfortable pace down.
I got done with this one and rested briefly. It was very brief though. I passed a group of Asian hikers. They were kind and I told them of the other runners. I was hoping to run more this time, but I couldn't get myself to do it. My breathing just became too labored over short stretches.
When I got to the flat part, I ran by Elaine (who sort of led the run). She apparently had just got engaged. That was kind of awkward for me. She told me and I said "congrats" and kept going. I didn't know what to do. I finished the repeat. I caught Sally, who was hiking again.
I ran back downhill. There were a couple guys that passed Dave and they looked to be gaining on me. I was curious of the gap I had and it looked like 2/10th of a mile. They looked very smooth, so I thought they might catch up to me. I didn't push, but I didn't take it as easy as I would've either.
I finished up the 2nd repeat feeling well. I headed up for a 3rd time. This one went by pretty quickly too. I was concerned on the downhill, because my knee began to act up slightly again. I kept going though and it didn't bother me much.
I started up for the 4th repeat. I hoped for one more after this. I noticed the fast guys weren't coming back down. I figured that Elaine must be holding them up top for photos. I was correct. When I got there, we had to do jumping photos. I had them make it quick, because I was trying for another repeat after this.
I was on my way shortly after the photos. I ran from this point until the turnaround. I then headed downhill. I still didn't push hard, but I did go a little faster this time and opened it up more. It was fun.
I was looking at my pace and it didn't appear that I could run sub 11 minute miles, but I was cutting down on my pace. I headed back up for a 5th and final time. This would put me over 2,000 feet of gain for the run (on my watch).
I would've liked to have run this whole time, but I was starting to tire now. Amazingly, I didn't even finish drinking from my handheld. Usually, I need more water than that. I was over 7 miles too. I went up for this one and most people were finishing up their last one (doing less than me). I ran basically the same stretches as before and hiked the same ones too.
It was great to be to the top and cruising down now. One of the fast guys was coming up to do another loop. I think that was his 4th one. He's the only one other than me to do that many. I stayed well ahead of him.
I finished up, but still had to run back to my car. The connector trail is in the woods. It was getting dark fast now. I didn't have any trouble seeing the roots or rocks. I'd like to come here again sometime and run the actual trails. It seems like a fun place.
I got back to my car and everyone left. I was a little surprised. It didn't matter anyway, as I wouldn't have been able to stay long. I needed to get back home and it was already nearly dark.
This was a productive run. It was good because I was able to get some elevation, but it was also runnable elevation. Maybe I'll head back there one more time in the summer. It is too far to be a regular group run for me. It's better for the locals.
Tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'm doing. I have to go to the doctor in the afternoon. Maybe I'll try the long Trexler loop in the evening. I'd like some more elevation, although I really could back off now actually.
9.25 miles - 1:43:46 (11:13 pace) 1774 feet of elevation gain
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