I slacked off again and didn't run yesterday. That meant I needed to run today. Even though it was pouring all day, I still planned to run. I tried to convince Angie to tag along, but she is too wise. I went to Trexler and decided on the longer 11 mile loop. I haven't done that it awhile.
Dressing was certainly tricky. It was kind of warm, but raining so much. I had on my shell and everything was soaked after nearly 2 hours. Luckily, I've run in rain like this and worse before. The beginning was a challenge because it was windy, but most of the trail wasn't that bad.
I started off and knew I'd have the trail all to myself. I surely did. There were some nice fall colors, but they were kind of masked by the wind and clouds. In the new section, I already began hiking. The top of my quads were sore. That was probably from the rail trail run the other night. I haven't had issues with them, other than at J-burg, since I went to all out trail running.
It was frustrating to feel sore, but I pushed on. I ran for awhile. When I got to the long, gradual uphill, I decided to hike there too. I could've pushed through, but it was still too early. The road below was beautiful. The trees were orange and yellow. I enjoyed that.
At least with the rain, the barking dogs weren't out. If not for the rain, it would've been a peaceful run. I was starting to get a bit wet, as I headed out to the view.
Then, it was back into the woods. The grass that was high last time was now dieing off. I also think they probably trimmed a lot of it too. I cruised along, still running a sub 10 minute pace. I wasn't feeling great though, thanks to the soreness.
I walked some of the shorter hills too. With the shale on the trail, it is hard to get traction anyway when things are wet. Even if I felt stronger, I likely still would've hiked. I was continuing to make okay time.
After struggling up the two biggest hills, it was time to cut across on the green blazed trail. This had another climb, that I ran some and hiked some. I couldn't quite go the way I wanted, as they are tearing down a ton of invasion trees on the top here.
Since it was raining and it was clear no work was being done today, I jumped over some caution tape and ran through the closed off area. There were some branches, but it was very runnable. When I came up to an open field, I noticed singletrack off to the right. That is the direction I wanted to go.
That was the correct turn, as it took me down the Broken Arrow Trail. This is a series of switchbacks. Everyone loves running down this. It is okay, but I'm not really a huge fan. Each part seems too long to me. Back in the trees, this section was pretty. The rain had picked up too though, so it was very wet.
I cruised on down this. Then, I crossed the road and went up the blue blazed trail. I simply hiked the nearly 300 feet to the top. By now, everything was soaked. It was pouring and my nipples were even starting to chafe a little. I was glad to be closing in on 7 miles.
I got to the top and then cruised downhill. This was fun. After that, it was across the creek on the bridge and then along the stone path by the creek. I followed this out and connected back to the Border Trail.
I was very happy to be at the Border Trail, because the hard stuff was now behind me. I ran a lot over the next few miles, although I still hiked some. I was hoping to make it in under 2 hours and knew I'd now be very close.
By now the trail was soaked. The heavy rain basically made it a stream. I ran in the grass at times, but for the most part just went straight through it.
After crossing over the bridge on the road, it was good to get to the last big climb. The muddy section before it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I hiked up most of this climb. I then ran near the top and along the KidsPeace road.
I knew I had to run the rolling hill section. Even though the legs were sore, the good news is that my breathing wasn't an issue like it would be in the summer. That is always what slows me down here. I knew I could run over these rollers and I did.
I crossed the final road. I knew if the distance was 11 miles, I'd be in under 2 hours. If it was a few tenths of a mile longer, things would be close. I ran the hill for awhile and even scared 4 deer away. However, the new section just took too much work, so I hiked that.
I came out to the original section. I was a few minutes under two hours. I ran up the last short hill and finished the loop. I was a bit exhausted.
This was a quality workout. I wish I wasn't sore and could've run more, but I'll take it. I wasn't looking to push myself. I put in a nice double digit mileage day.
I'm hoping to run again tomorrow. Recovery could be a big key to what I do. I think I need to spend some time on the foam roller tonight. If I get back on roads, I might need to do that more often.
10.99 miles - 1:57:30 (10:41 pace) 1659 feet of elevation gain
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Monday, October 26, 2015
First Rail Trail Run in Over a Year
I was a little beat up on Saturday after that run at Lehigh Gap. I almost got out to Riverview Park yesterday. That would've been my first road run in over a year. I just couldn't drag myself out there.
I did need to end this trail running streak. I wanted to head north today, but didn't have the energy. Instead, I elected to finally get on some rail trail. The last time I did that was on the Nor-Bath Trail over a year ago. Much like today, I would run in the darkness.
It was a little chilly. I wore a short sleeve shirt with my shell over it. I was sweating by the end with my visor to hold up the head lamp. Not surprisingly, I ran a little faster than I wanted to. It has been so long since I've been on this type of surface. I actually had to use old road shoes.
I parked at the Bath end of the trail. There were some dogs about to go for a walk. They barked at me. I knew that I'd have the trail all to myself. I did see animal eyes twice, but that was it.
I started off nice and comfortable. I felt amazing and fast. Of course I knew I wasn't going as quick as I felt. It felt good to run a little differently though. Not only do I not run with speed any more, but I stop and start so much. Running the planned 6 miles straight through would be a big thing.
I was thrilled to cross Airport Road with ease. There would only be two road crossings, but I feared that would cause me some trouble. Although the miles went by kind of quickly, I sure got bored early. I was happy that when I first looked at my watch near Bicentennial Park, it was 2.16 miles. I had less than a mile to turn around.
I focused on the Weaversville Road crossing. Even now, my legs were a little uncomfortable. I was definitely working different muscles than I normally do. I crossed over the road with ease and over the foot bridges farther down. I turned around at 3 miles.
I was shooting for a sub 8 minute pace. I was glad to see that I had built up a decent cushion to that. Of course I wouldn't settle for that. I knew I'd end up picking things up a little more. It was nice to be on the back half of this run.
Again, I was able to cross the road with ease. I was shocked by this, as it looked busy. I cruised past Bicentennial Park again. My legs were definitely hanging on. I focused on each half mile.
Getting through mile 4 was huge. I was now looking at a sub 7:45 pace and figured I could do that. This stretch from the park to Airport Road is simply a lot of nothing. I got very bored, as I focused on mile 5. It was great to get there and be well under 7:45 pace.
I calculated pace in my head again and realized a good final mile would put me under 7:40, so I shot for that. At least I had something to keep me busy. Once I got past Airport Road, smoothly again I might add, I picked up the tempo. I wasn't going all out, but was definitely a little uncomfortable.
I finished up under 7:40 pace. My breathing for most of the run wasn't too bad, although I did get a side stitch. It was my legs that were holding me back. They need to get stronger. I need to mix in more runs like this and faster ones. I still want to focus on endurance, but find a nice mix of speed. I think adding striders would help with that too.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get back on the trails. We'll see what I'm up for. I'd love to go somewhere new. Maybe I can make it to the Thunder Swamp Trail System this time around.
6 miles - 45:38 (7:36 pace) 68 feet of elevation gain
I did need to end this trail running streak. I wanted to head north today, but didn't have the energy. Instead, I elected to finally get on some rail trail. The last time I did that was on the Nor-Bath Trail over a year ago. Much like today, I would run in the darkness.
It was a little chilly. I wore a short sleeve shirt with my shell over it. I was sweating by the end with my visor to hold up the head lamp. Not surprisingly, I ran a little faster than I wanted to. It has been so long since I've been on this type of surface. I actually had to use old road shoes.
I parked at the Bath end of the trail. There were some dogs about to go for a walk. They barked at me. I knew that I'd have the trail all to myself. I did see animal eyes twice, but that was it.
I started off nice and comfortable. I felt amazing and fast. Of course I knew I wasn't going as quick as I felt. It felt good to run a little differently though. Not only do I not run with speed any more, but I stop and start so much. Running the planned 6 miles straight through would be a big thing.
I was thrilled to cross Airport Road with ease. There would only be two road crossings, but I feared that would cause me some trouble. Although the miles went by kind of quickly, I sure got bored early. I was happy that when I first looked at my watch near Bicentennial Park, it was 2.16 miles. I had less than a mile to turn around.
I focused on the Weaversville Road crossing. Even now, my legs were a little uncomfortable. I was definitely working different muscles than I normally do. I crossed over the road with ease and over the foot bridges farther down. I turned around at 3 miles.
I was shooting for a sub 8 minute pace. I was glad to see that I had built up a decent cushion to that. Of course I wouldn't settle for that. I knew I'd end up picking things up a little more. It was nice to be on the back half of this run.
Again, I was able to cross the road with ease. I was shocked by this, as it looked busy. I cruised past Bicentennial Park again. My legs were definitely hanging on. I focused on each half mile.
Getting through mile 4 was huge. I was now looking at a sub 7:45 pace and figured I could do that. This stretch from the park to Airport Road is simply a lot of nothing. I got very bored, as I focused on mile 5. It was great to get there and be well under 7:45 pace.
I calculated pace in my head again and realized a good final mile would put me under 7:40, so I shot for that. At least I had something to keep me busy. Once I got past Airport Road, smoothly again I might add, I picked up the tempo. I wasn't going all out, but was definitely a little uncomfortable.
I finished up under 7:40 pace. My breathing for most of the run wasn't too bad, although I did get a side stitch. It was my legs that were holding me back. They need to get stronger. I need to mix in more runs like this and faster ones. I still want to focus on endurance, but find a nice mix of speed. I think adding striders would help with that too.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get back on the trails. We'll see what I'm up for. I'd love to go somewhere new. Maybe I can make it to the Thunder Swamp Trail System this time around.
6 miles - 45:38 (7:36 pace) 68 feet of elevation gain
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Colorful Lehigh Gap Run (Perfect 1,000th post)
I really slacked this week and haven't run since last weekend. I needed some big running today and maybe tomorrow too. I wanted to get to Tammany again and really push myself on the loops. However, I slept in a little and knew the lot there would be full. I drove through Lehigh Gap yesterday and figured that would be awesome.
Just driving in and seeing all the colors at their peak was great. I knew with the views and terrain there, this would be a fantastic run. I planned to climb each side of the game and get somewhere near 18 miles. That would be a very productive day.
I went with a short sleeve shirt, shorts and a shell. I was sweating a lot early, but later often a little chilly. The shell was certainly a good choice. Plus, I could carry my camera for some epic videos. I have so much to go through and eventually will make a movie from them.
I arrived around 11 AM and headed out. I was starting on the west side. I planned my usual loop, LNE to the Prairie Grass Trail to the Charcoal Trail to the North Trail to the Appalachian Trail. That is somewhere around 7 miles and it is outstanding.
I ran along nice and easy on the LNE. There we some dog walkers. Even down there, the colors were great. The Prairie Grass Trail is a nice and gradual climb. It isn't too technical. I should do repeats on there some time. With the sun beating down in the summer, this is route is tough, but today it was great.
The Charcoal Trail is steeper and more rocky. I ended up hiking a lot of this. The colors were great up there. Lots of yellow, orange and red trees. I just took my time.
I got to the blue blazed North Trail eventually. Somehow, I missed the turn to Devil's Pulpit. Maybe it was the army guys doing rescue training. It didn't matter anyway, since I had plenty of views to look forward to.
The North Trail is just spectacular. There are open views along the ridge. The zinc plant destroyed the trees, but it led to some beauty. I couldn't help but think about how everything up there was destroyed, but has bounced back to some extent. I have had a tough time lately and I need to bounce back too.
I passed a couple hikers as I enjoyed the terrific views. There were hikers throughout, but it wasn't as crazy as some other places that I go. I felt like I went on this trail longer than before. I was almost out to the Lehigh Tunnel.
Eventually, I got to the Appalachian Trail. This trail goes back in the woods and made things cooler. It was fun to be running downhill too. I had hiked a lot earlier, but now I could mostly run.
Most of it is runnable. The trail gets quite technical near the AT shelter though. I flew down some technical rocks and wondered how people can run that stuff faster than me. I was basically out of control already.
I went down the Woodpecker Trail. I came out back at my car. I was under 2 hours into the run. I refilled Tailwind and toweled off.
It was time to head to the east side of the gap. I ran across the river on the bridge. That was beautiful. I was enjoying every moment of it. I then crossed the road and was back on the AT.
This part is crazy technical. There's a huge boulder section. It is often climbing that requires you to use your hands. Even before that though, it was steep. Much steeper than the other side and I was tiring.
I took my time over the boulders. I also grabbed some video there too. I took it all in and had a blast. This is what I enjoy so much about trail running.
Going over the boulders, I came to my biggest issue of the day. I was hiking over loose ones and slipped. I caught myself, but one of the sharp rocks cut my hand. It didn't hurt too much, but started to bleed like crazy. I was getting worried. If it kept bleeding at that rate, I would've had to turn around. Luckily, it calmed down quickly.
I hiked up more now. The trail goes through some prairie grass near the top. Then, they rerouted the trail. I like this section. It like a woods road along the ridge of the mountain. The views of Palmerton and the surrounding mountains is outstanding. This is mostly all runnable, although there is some up and down.
I was focused on getting out to mile 12. I knew that would be tough. I passed a few hikers in this area. Mostly, I still had the trail to myself. After a few miles, the trail heads back to the Superfund site.
This are is spectacular too. There are views, but also some cool unique plants and trees. There were some colors too. The scenery is like nothing you see in the area. It's amazing on a normal day, but the colors added even more to it. I passed two section hikers going the other way.
This section is fairly rocky. It wouldn't have been too bad, but I was low on calories and bonking. I stumbled over rocks. In an odd way, I actually enjoy bonking. It's an interesting place that your head goes. I mostly just hiked out to mile 12. I went past the powerline. I turned around right at mile 12. I probably was a half mile from the road crossing at that point. Some time, I'll have to run all the way there.
Since I was heading back, I got a second wind. I ran some more stuff that I didn't run earlier. I was just plugging away. It still wasn't fast. I knew when I got back to the smoother ridge part, that I'd move better.
I still took plenty of video. There was a lot of interesting stuff. They had a few brush fires on both sides of the mountains this summer. I saw some small charred areas.
It was great to get back to the woods road like terrain. Even though I had bonked a little, I ran. I did have to walk some uphills. Still, I was making more progress. Before I knew it, I was back to normal trail.
I wasn't about to head back through the boulders. Instead, I headed down the Winter Trail. This a fun switchback sections. I ran most of it, but some parts were too rocky and steep. When you get out from the treeline, the view through the gap is amazing.
I then came out to the old railroad bed. One part of that was boggy. It always is. I didn't get my feet too wet though. I came out to the AT and passed one of the hikers from earlier. I then went across the road and across the bridge.
I ran around the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. That added a little distance. I didn't quite get to 18 miles, but I had enough. It was an epic day for sure. In the future, I'll have to create a fall group run here. That would be awesome. This place is a great kept secret. Not too crowded, even during peak foliage season.
I didn't have big elevation gain or many miles. However, my back and legs were quite beat. That was very surprising. I guess the rocks and all the runnable terrain dealt me a pounding. The cut on my hand isn't too bad.
I hope to run again tomorrow. Going to Tammany would be nice. I could use some more climbing and another tough day. I do need to get to more speed training in the future, but for now, I'll enjoy some tough stuff.
17.83 miles - 4:18:48 (14:31 pace) 3060 feet of elevation gain
Just driving in and seeing all the colors at their peak was great. I knew with the views and terrain there, this would be a fantastic run. I planned to climb each side of the game and get somewhere near 18 miles. That would be a very productive day.
I went with a short sleeve shirt, shorts and a shell. I was sweating a lot early, but later often a little chilly. The shell was certainly a good choice. Plus, I could carry my camera for some epic videos. I have so much to go through and eventually will make a movie from them.
I arrived around 11 AM and headed out. I was starting on the west side. I planned my usual loop, LNE to the Prairie Grass Trail to the Charcoal Trail to the North Trail to the Appalachian Trail. That is somewhere around 7 miles and it is outstanding.
I ran along nice and easy on the LNE. There we some dog walkers. Even down there, the colors were great. The Prairie Grass Trail is a nice and gradual climb. It isn't too technical. I should do repeats on there some time. With the sun beating down in the summer, this is route is tough, but today it was great.
The Charcoal Trail is steeper and more rocky. I ended up hiking a lot of this. The colors were great up there. Lots of yellow, orange and red trees. I just took my time.
I got to the blue blazed North Trail eventually. Somehow, I missed the turn to Devil's Pulpit. Maybe it was the army guys doing rescue training. It didn't matter anyway, since I had plenty of views to look forward to.
The North Trail is just spectacular. There are open views along the ridge. The zinc plant destroyed the trees, but it led to some beauty. I couldn't help but think about how everything up there was destroyed, but has bounced back to some extent. I have had a tough time lately and I need to bounce back too.
I passed a couple hikers as I enjoyed the terrific views. There were hikers throughout, but it wasn't as crazy as some other places that I go. I felt like I went on this trail longer than before. I was almost out to the Lehigh Tunnel.
Eventually, I got to the Appalachian Trail. This trail goes back in the woods and made things cooler. It was fun to be running downhill too. I had hiked a lot earlier, but now I could mostly run.
Most of it is runnable. The trail gets quite technical near the AT shelter though. I flew down some technical rocks and wondered how people can run that stuff faster than me. I was basically out of control already.
I went down the Woodpecker Trail. I came out back at my car. I was under 2 hours into the run. I refilled Tailwind and toweled off.
It was time to head to the east side of the gap. I ran across the river on the bridge. That was beautiful. I was enjoying every moment of it. I then crossed the road and was back on the AT.
This part is crazy technical. There's a huge boulder section. It is often climbing that requires you to use your hands. Even before that though, it was steep. Much steeper than the other side and I was tiring.
I took my time over the boulders. I also grabbed some video there too. I took it all in and had a blast. This is what I enjoy so much about trail running.
Going over the boulders, I came to my biggest issue of the day. I was hiking over loose ones and slipped. I caught myself, but one of the sharp rocks cut my hand. It didn't hurt too much, but started to bleed like crazy. I was getting worried. If it kept bleeding at that rate, I would've had to turn around. Luckily, it calmed down quickly.
I hiked up more now. The trail goes through some prairie grass near the top. Then, they rerouted the trail. I like this section. It like a woods road along the ridge of the mountain. The views of Palmerton and the surrounding mountains is outstanding. This is mostly all runnable, although there is some up and down.
I was focused on getting out to mile 12. I knew that would be tough. I passed a few hikers in this area. Mostly, I still had the trail to myself. After a few miles, the trail heads back to the Superfund site.
This are is spectacular too. There are views, but also some cool unique plants and trees. There were some colors too. The scenery is like nothing you see in the area. It's amazing on a normal day, but the colors added even more to it. I passed two section hikers going the other way.
This section is fairly rocky. It wouldn't have been too bad, but I was low on calories and bonking. I stumbled over rocks. In an odd way, I actually enjoy bonking. It's an interesting place that your head goes. I mostly just hiked out to mile 12. I went past the powerline. I turned around right at mile 12. I probably was a half mile from the road crossing at that point. Some time, I'll have to run all the way there.
Since I was heading back, I got a second wind. I ran some more stuff that I didn't run earlier. I was just plugging away. It still wasn't fast. I knew when I got back to the smoother ridge part, that I'd move better.
I still took plenty of video. There was a lot of interesting stuff. They had a few brush fires on both sides of the mountains this summer. I saw some small charred areas.
It was great to get back to the woods road like terrain. Even though I had bonked a little, I ran. I did have to walk some uphills. Still, I was making more progress. Before I knew it, I was back to normal trail.
I wasn't about to head back through the boulders. Instead, I headed down the Winter Trail. This a fun switchback sections. I ran most of it, but some parts were too rocky and steep. When you get out from the treeline, the view through the gap is amazing.
I then came out to the old railroad bed. One part of that was boggy. It always is. I didn't get my feet too wet though. I came out to the AT and passed one of the hikers from earlier. I then went across the road and across the bridge.
I ran around the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. That added a little distance. I didn't quite get to 18 miles, but I had enough. It was an epic day for sure. In the future, I'll have to create a fall group run here. That would be awesome. This place is a great kept secret. Not too crowded, even during peak foliage season.
I didn't have big elevation gain or many miles. However, my back and legs were quite beat. That was very surprising. I guess the rocks and all the runnable terrain dealt me a pounding. The cut on my hand isn't too bad.
I hope to run again tomorrow. Going to Tammany would be nice. I could use some more climbing and another tough day. I do need to get to more speed training in the future, but for now, I'll enjoy some tough stuff.
17.83 miles - 4:18:48 (14:31 pace) 3060 feet of elevation gain
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Speedy Fall Double Tammany Loop
I volunteered at the Water Gap 50K yesterday with Ryan. That was a new experience. It was fun and a pretty course and good event. Thankfully, everything went smoothly.
Today, I need to run. I wanted to get to Tammany to see the fall colors. They were quite awesome. Unfortunately, I wasn't alone. I arrived after 10 AM and the parking lot was already full. I turned around and drove to the river lot.
Temperature made it tough. Earlier, it was freezing. By start time, it was probably around 40. I went with a short sleeve shirt and light jacket over that. I knew that might be a bit much and it was. I was soaked at the end. However, hiking up some of the windy parts were still chilly.
I began by running on the road. I came across this massive group on the early steps. Running by them was frustrating. I ran to the first steep and rocky part.
There were so many hikers there. All I seemed to be doing was passing hikers, hikers and more hikers. Lots of families and lots of slow hikers. The one good thing was when I'd pass them, I'd often run a little after.
I was flying up the ascent. I was running more than usual and hiking fast. I took some video of the first overlook. I took a few videos, but my camera wouldn't work.
I cruised on up over the technical stuff. People were going slowly up that. Luckily, I'm so experienced heading up that part. I felt pretty strong.
At times, my breathing would get heavy. I pushed on. I got to the top in no time. Even with the road running added on, I made it to the top at just over 27 minutes. That's about how long it takes me without being on the road.
I took some video at the top. I didn't waste much time. I continued on. I was feeling good, so I ran a lot of the Blue Trail along the ridge. Even though I was breathing heavy at times, the cooler weather was a blessing for sure. I could run much more than usual.
I had to pause before the descent. The low bushes along the trail were all red. It was gorgeous. What an amazing place to run. I hiked a few of the rocks at the top.
Then, it was time to cruise down. There were less hikers here, but still plenty of them. Near the top, it was windy and my eyes were watering. That made it hard on the rocky terrain. Still I went down at a good pace.
It wasn't my fastest downhill here and I didn't feel awesome, but I was steady and ran. As usual, people were amazed at my running. I ran along the waterfall and back to the AT. I flew down that and back to the parking lot.
Even with the road running, I came in at 52 minutes. That's a good loop. Since my car was a bit of a run away and I had enough Tailwind, I went straight back up.
I was a little tired as I headed up. Still, I moved quite well. Again, I was running some more than usual and hiking a lot. I passed more dogs and families and such.
A few of the hikers recognized me again. They realized I was doing two loops. There were too many of them for me to remember them. Surprisingly, I was the only runner there.
I got to top fast again. I think it was around 1:20 when I made it up there. This time, I really didn't stop. Again, I ran most of the ridge.
I felt good, so I flew down the descent this time. Again, the wind bothered my eyes. I was really booking downhill this time. I almost tripped once, but mostly I was good.
More hikers were commenting on my running. There are few things more fun than blasting down a technical section like that. I had so much fun jumping and hopping around. It wasn't my best running down here I'm sure, but it was good.
When I got back to the AT, I really began to push it. I saw my time and tried to get under 1:45. I knew I had some pavement to finish. I ran hard on this and finished up under 1:45.
I was exhausted when done. This wasn't supposed to be hard, but it ended up being quite the impressive run. The cooler weather made a big difference. I think the only time I've run faster there was in the winter when the trail was snow covered and the rocks were gone.
7.95 miles - 1:43:37 (13:02 pace) 2266 feet of gain Not Accurate Data
Mt. Tammany 37th and 38th summit of 2015
Today, I need to run. I wanted to get to Tammany to see the fall colors. They were quite awesome. Unfortunately, I wasn't alone. I arrived after 10 AM and the parking lot was already full. I turned around and drove to the river lot.
Temperature made it tough. Earlier, it was freezing. By start time, it was probably around 40. I went with a short sleeve shirt and light jacket over that. I knew that might be a bit much and it was. I was soaked at the end. However, hiking up some of the windy parts were still chilly.
I began by running on the road. I came across this massive group on the early steps. Running by them was frustrating. I ran to the first steep and rocky part.
There were so many hikers there. All I seemed to be doing was passing hikers, hikers and more hikers. Lots of families and lots of slow hikers. The one good thing was when I'd pass them, I'd often run a little after.
I was flying up the ascent. I was running more than usual and hiking fast. I took some video of the first overlook. I took a few videos, but my camera wouldn't work.
I cruised on up over the technical stuff. People were going slowly up that. Luckily, I'm so experienced heading up that part. I felt pretty strong.
At times, my breathing would get heavy. I pushed on. I got to the top in no time. Even with the road running added on, I made it to the top at just over 27 minutes. That's about how long it takes me without being on the road.
I took some video at the top. I didn't waste much time. I continued on. I was feeling good, so I ran a lot of the Blue Trail along the ridge. Even though I was breathing heavy at times, the cooler weather was a blessing for sure. I could run much more than usual.
I had to pause before the descent. The low bushes along the trail were all red. It was gorgeous. What an amazing place to run. I hiked a few of the rocks at the top.
Then, it was time to cruise down. There were less hikers here, but still plenty of them. Near the top, it was windy and my eyes were watering. That made it hard on the rocky terrain. Still I went down at a good pace.
It wasn't my fastest downhill here and I didn't feel awesome, but I was steady and ran. As usual, people were amazed at my running. I ran along the waterfall and back to the AT. I flew down that and back to the parking lot.
Even with the road running, I came in at 52 minutes. That's a good loop. Since my car was a bit of a run away and I had enough Tailwind, I went straight back up.
I was a little tired as I headed up. Still, I moved quite well. Again, I was running some more than usual and hiking a lot. I passed more dogs and families and such.
A few of the hikers recognized me again. They realized I was doing two loops. There were too many of them for me to remember them. Surprisingly, I was the only runner there.
I got to top fast again. I think it was around 1:20 when I made it up there. This time, I really didn't stop. Again, I ran most of the ridge.
I felt good, so I flew down the descent this time. Again, the wind bothered my eyes. I was really booking downhill this time. I almost tripped once, but mostly I was good.
More hikers were commenting on my running. There are few things more fun than blasting down a technical section like that. I had so much fun jumping and hopping around. It wasn't my best running down here I'm sure, but it was good.
When I got back to the AT, I really began to push it. I saw my time and tried to get under 1:45. I knew I had some pavement to finish. I ran hard on this and finished up under 1:45.
I was exhausted when done. This wasn't supposed to be hard, but it ended up being quite the impressive run. The cooler weather made a big difference. I think the only time I've run faster there was in the winter when the trail was snow covered and the rocks were gone.
7.95 miles - 1:43:37 (13:02 pace) 2266 feet of gain Not Accurate Data
Mt. Tammany 37th and 38th summit of 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Runner's World Altra 3.8 Mile Trail Race Presented by REI Race Report
Runner's World has been putting on a road running weekend in Bethlehem for several years now. This year, they added a trail race. It's on the South Mountain trails that I always run, so I had to go. One of the good things about being fresh after Trilogy was I could race this one. I don't race fast and hard often, so I knew this would be interesting. I'm not used to something this short.
I got there very early, since I was worried about parking. Turns out that I didn't need to. I saw Kristin, Russ, Heather and some other friends before the race. Chatting was good. I ran around a little to get a feel for the course. I thought I was well fueled but had no energy. I knew it could be an ugly day. The course still confused me too.
I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It was a perfect day really. I was sweating some by the end, but it wasn't bad. I'd take this weather all year.
We started near the bottom of the parking lot. This race sold out. Over 250 people, even for a Friday afternoon. I was concerned with the crowd, going into a lot of singletrack. The plan was to go fairly hard out the gate. I lined up even farther forward than I would've liked.
We started in the woods a bit and I took off. My friend Jerry was slightly ahead. I was around 10th or so. We climbed a hill on pavement to start. Then, to my surprise, we went through the disc golf course. This is the most rocky part of the course. I don't know how people didn't get hurt farther back.
I flew past a guy on this technical stuff. My breathing was labored. This was very tough. Not that many people were actually up front and racing, despite the big crowd. I could've and should've laid back much more. Oh well. I was surprising that more people weren't passing me.
I struggled running up the hills. I think I need to work on that. I also might not quite be recovered from last weekend. I plodded up the long paved hill, after we came past the start. I saw my dad and complained how short and fast the race was. Another guy near me agreed.
Somewhere near the top of the climb, Erman ran past me. He's really strong and also clearly ran smarter. We had downhill after that and I was very happy. After a bit, there was a water stop, but I didn't stop.
We had more downhill. However, I could see the leaders coming back up, including my friend Chris, who was near the front. I knew it would be a gradual ascent up. It was good to see everyone in front of me.
I wasn't doing too bad in the standings at this point. Then, we turned around and headed back up. I was hoping that I recovered, but I had not. The worst thing was miles seemed to go by so slowly, even though they were pretty quick.
I struggled running up the hill. Then, I realized the guy behind me was hiking up and I wasn't pulling away. I decided that hiking was a better option at that point. I couldn't believe I was hiking a 4 mile trail race. Oh well, it was the price I paid for going out too hard.
My breathing was so labored throughout this early part. I just couldn't ever recover. I saw Russ and Kristin running together. We did another out and back near the top. This was a tough one too. Again, it was down first and then back up.
By now, the uphills were just killing me and forcing me to hike. I knew I should've been more conservative. I grabbed water at the water stop, when we got back into the woods.
Up next was a gradual uphill. I like this during my training runs. It is easy then though, because I am going easy. Today, it was a struggle. Kristin passed me out of nowhere. She was flying. I felt a little bad that she passed me, but then someone told her she was first woman. I realized they were correct and I felt awesome for her!
She and a couple guys hiked some of the steeper parts of this. After that I knew there was a descent. I used that to my advantage. I was so strong on those. I blasted down and caught Kristin. She wanted me to pass, but I wanted to hang with her. I needed her to pull me along.
I followed her down some fun singletrack. However, I rolled my ankle. We came to one volunteer and I asked about the hills remaining. I thought we'd run out on the pavement soon and have the last little climb. I decided to fly past Kristin again here.
However, as we approached the road, I realized that we were only at 3 miles. The race couldn't be close to over, even though I wanted it to be. We turned and headed back into the woods. It was slightly uphill and I had to hike. I let Kristin back by me.
Then, we got to "it". The worst climb of the course, with less than half a mile to go. I hiked up it, as did most people. I could see Kristin and some guys up ahead. I made myself run some of it, past a telephone pole. My breathing was still labored.
Finally, we got to the water tower. I thought it was all downhill from that point and on smooth stone or pavement, but I wasn't sure. I had downhill legs, so I blasted down this. It was a fun way to finish.
I was flying and gaining a lot of ground on everyone. I passed one guy and gained on Kristin, but her and some of the other guys were simply too far ahead. I finished just under 33 minutes. Kristin was first female and won shoes. How awesome!
I was 20th overall out of 223 finishers (I think). I ended up running about the time I expected, but I sure did crash and burn doing it. The funny thing is this was about the same pace I run in training there. Then, I'm more steady and just cruise around, but I can run everything. No hiking during that. Had I gone out slower and run smarter early, I probably would've been a couple minutes faster. Oh well, lesson learned.
I'm not totally disappointed. I definitely need some faster and harder running. It was good to push myself out of my comfort zone. If I do this again, I'll run smarter for sure. Seeing a bunch of friends was fun too. This was a well put together race.
Tomorrow, Ryan and I are working an aid station at the Water Gap 50K. That should be different and fun. I'm probably going to watch the Runner's World Half Marathon on Sunday. Then, maybe I'll running somewhere like Mt. Tammany.
3.8 miles - 32:55 (8:53 pace) 20th of 233
I got there very early, since I was worried about parking. Turns out that I didn't need to. I saw Kristin, Russ, Heather and some other friends before the race. Chatting was good. I ran around a little to get a feel for the course. I thought I was well fueled but had no energy. I knew it could be an ugly day. The course still confused me too.
I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It was a perfect day really. I was sweating some by the end, but it wasn't bad. I'd take this weather all year.
We started near the bottom of the parking lot. This race sold out. Over 250 people, even for a Friday afternoon. I was concerned with the crowd, going into a lot of singletrack. The plan was to go fairly hard out the gate. I lined up even farther forward than I would've liked.
We started in the woods a bit and I took off. My friend Jerry was slightly ahead. I was around 10th or so. We climbed a hill on pavement to start. Then, to my surprise, we went through the disc golf course. This is the most rocky part of the course. I don't know how people didn't get hurt farther back.
I flew past a guy on this technical stuff. My breathing was labored. This was very tough. Not that many people were actually up front and racing, despite the big crowd. I could've and should've laid back much more. Oh well. I was surprising that more people weren't passing me.
I struggled running up the hills. I think I need to work on that. I also might not quite be recovered from last weekend. I plodded up the long paved hill, after we came past the start. I saw my dad and complained how short and fast the race was. Another guy near me agreed.
Somewhere near the top of the climb, Erman ran past me. He's really strong and also clearly ran smarter. We had downhill after that and I was very happy. After a bit, there was a water stop, but I didn't stop.
We had more downhill. However, I could see the leaders coming back up, including my friend Chris, who was near the front. I knew it would be a gradual ascent up. It was good to see everyone in front of me.
I wasn't doing too bad in the standings at this point. Then, we turned around and headed back up. I was hoping that I recovered, but I had not. The worst thing was miles seemed to go by so slowly, even though they were pretty quick.
I struggled running up the hill. Then, I realized the guy behind me was hiking up and I wasn't pulling away. I decided that hiking was a better option at that point. I couldn't believe I was hiking a 4 mile trail race. Oh well, it was the price I paid for going out too hard.
My breathing was so labored throughout this early part. I just couldn't ever recover. I saw Russ and Kristin running together. We did another out and back near the top. This was a tough one too. Again, it was down first and then back up.
By now, the uphills were just killing me and forcing me to hike. I knew I should've been more conservative. I grabbed water at the water stop, when we got back into the woods.
Up next was a gradual uphill. I like this during my training runs. It is easy then though, because I am going easy. Today, it was a struggle. Kristin passed me out of nowhere. She was flying. I felt a little bad that she passed me, but then someone told her she was first woman. I realized they were correct and I felt awesome for her!
She and a couple guys hiked some of the steeper parts of this. After that I knew there was a descent. I used that to my advantage. I was so strong on those. I blasted down and caught Kristin. She wanted me to pass, but I wanted to hang with her. I needed her to pull me along.
I followed her down some fun singletrack. However, I rolled my ankle. We came to one volunteer and I asked about the hills remaining. I thought we'd run out on the pavement soon and have the last little climb. I decided to fly past Kristin again here.
However, as we approached the road, I realized that we were only at 3 miles. The race couldn't be close to over, even though I wanted it to be. We turned and headed back into the woods. It was slightly uphill and I had to hike. I let Kristin back by me.
Then, we got to "it". The worst climb of the course, with less than half a mile to go. I hiked up it, as did most people. I could see Kristin and some guys up ahead. I made myself run some of it, past a telephone pole. My breathing was still labored.
Finally, we got to the water tower. I thought it was all downhill from that point and on smooth stone or pavement, but I wasn't sure. I had downhill legs, so I blasted down this. It was a fun way to finish.
I was flying and gaining a lot of ground on everyone. I passed one guy and gained on Kristin, but her and some of the other guys were simply too far ahead. I finished just under 33 minutes. Kristin was first female and won shoes. How awesome!
I was 20th overall out of 223 finishers (I think). I ended up running about the time I expected, but I sure did crash and burn doing it. The funny thing is this was about the same pace I run in training there. Then, I'm more steady and just cruise around, but I can run everything. No hiking during that. Had I gone out slower and run smarter early, I probably would've been a couple minutes faster. Oh well, lesson learned.
I'm not totally disappointed. I definitely need some faster and harder running. It was good to push myself out of my comfort zone. If I do this again, I'll run smarter for sure. Seeing a bunch of friends was fun too. This was a well put together race.
Tomorrow, Ryan and I are working an aid station at the Water Gap 50K. That should be different and fun. I'm probably going to watch the Runner's World Half Marathon on Sunday. Then, maybe I'll running somewhere like Mt. Tammany.
3.8 miles - 32:55 (8:53 pace) 20th of 233
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Water Gap 50K Recon
I felt good after the WV Trilogy. I probably could've even run on Monday. I recover very well now. I'm so happy for that.
Today was my first day back to running though. I was busy making a video for Trilogy and also had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I didn't work, so I headed to the northern end of the Delaware Water Gap. Ryan and I are working an aid station at the first ever Water Gap 50K on Saturday. It is a point to point along the McDade Trail (31 miles). Our aid station is around mile 20.
I haven't run that part of the trail. I wanted to give runners leaving our aid station some idea of what was ahead. Therefore, I decided I'd head north from there and run a few miles.
I almost wore a lightweight long sleeve shirt. It was orange and would've been good in case anyone was hunting. I didn't see anyone though. Luckily, I went with a sleeveless shirt. It wasn't warm, but for this time of year, I was sweating a bit.
The leaves look like they are perhaps a little past their peak. There's still plenty of color though and the surrounding mountains are gorgeous. Our section and aid station will be setup among a field.
Right at the start is a short uphill. It was easy though and there was more field sections. The trail is wide and smooth. It is all stone covered. It is kind of like a rail trail through the woods. Not my cup of tea and it would probably destroy my legs after half the race. However, it is relatively flat and probably a good beginner ultra.
The trail went past Dingman's Campground early on. That is now closed for the season. After that, about .75 miles in, it started to climb. This section was beautiful, as I was now running back amongst the trees. There was some pine and plenty of leaves on the ground, but lots of shade too.
Around 1.5 miles out, there was a nice downhill. I was running easy and clicking off sub 9 minute miles. This could be a PR course if you don't blow up. Still, there are some challenging little hills that made me work.
At 2 miles, the trail crosses the road. The bridge there would lead to New Jersey. I continued along, pretty quickly. Other than the stone surface, I was enjoying the run. It was a nice day to run.
After some ups and downs, somewhere around mile 3, the trail flattened out. There was nearly a mile of almost flat, easy and runnable trail. I enjoyed it. Coming into the day, I was thinking I'd probably run 3 miles out and then head back. Since the miles were going by so quickly, I decided to make it to mile 4.
There was another little climb right before mile 4. I climbed that and it looked to be flat along the road again. I headed back though. It was time to turn around.
Going back was pretty uneventful. I moved a few sticks from the trail. I watched the miles click by. It did seem like a little more uphill in this direction. Still, nothing was too hard and I ran all of it. I did tire slightly toward the end.
I pushed a little bit in the last half mile or so. It was good to be done. I ran the whole thing at a sub 9 minute pace. This is definitely a fast course. I would love it if it was true nature trail and not covered with stone. Oh well, I look forward to volunteering anyway. I probably won't run the whole thing ever though.
This was a nice workout. There were a lot of parts that I'd walk in an ultra. I need to learn how to run more of the easier hills during a longer race. I'll practice that more down the road.
Tomorrow, I'm racing. Runner's World has a nearby trail race where I often run. I think 250 people on singletrack will be a disaster, but oh well. I'm going out hard and I'll see what happens. It is only 3.8 miles.
8 miles - 1:10:07 (8:46 pace) 217 feet of elevation gain
Today was my first day back to running though. I was busy making a video for Trilogy and also had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I didn't work, so I headed to the northern end of the Delaware Water Gap. Ryan and I are working an aid station at the first ever Water Gap 50K on Saturday. It is a point to point along the McDade Trail (31 miles). Our aid station is around mile 20.
I haven't run that part of the trail. I wanted to give runners leaving our aid station some idea of what was ahead. Therefore, I decided I'd head north from there and run a few miles.
I almost wore a lightweight long sleeve shirt. It was orange and would've been good in case anyone was hunting. I didn't see anyone though. Luckily, I went with a sleeveless shirt. It wasn't warm, but for this time of year, I was sweating a bit.
The leaves look like they are perhaps a little past their peak. There's still plenty of color though and the surrounding mountains are gorgeous. Our section and aid station will be setup among a field.
Right at the start is a short uphill. It was easy though and there was more field sections. The trail is wide and smooth. It is all stone covered. It is kind of like a rail trail through the woods. Not my cup of tea and it would probably destroy my legs after half the race. However, it is relatively flat and probably a good beginner ultra.
The trail went past Dingman's Campground early on. That is now closed for the season. After that, about .75 miles in, it started to climb. This section was beautiful, as I was now running back amongst the trees. There was some pine and plenty of leaves on the ground, but lots of shade too.
Around 1.5 miles out, there was a nice downhill. I was running easy and clicking off sub 9 minute miles. This could be a PR course if you don't blow up. Still, there are some challenging little hills that made me work.
At 2 miles, the trail crosses the road. The bridge there would lead to New Jersey. I continued along, pretty quickly. Other than the stone surface, I was enjoying the run. It was a nice day to run.
After some ups and downs, somewhere around mile 3, the trail flattened out. There was nearly a mile of almost flat, easy and runnable trail. I enjoyed it. Coming into the day, I was thinking I'd probably run 3 miles out and then head back. Since the miles were going by so quickly, I decided to make it to mile 4.
There was another little climb right before mile 4. I climbed that and it looked to be flat along the road again. I headed back though. It was time to turn around.
Going back was pretty uneventful. I moved a few sticks from the trail. I watched the miles click by. It did seem like a little more uphill in this direction. Still, nothing was too hard and I ran all of it. I did tire slightly toward the end.
I pushed a little bit in the last half mile or so. It was good to be done. I ran the whole thing at a sub 9 minute pace. This is definitely a fast course. I would love it if it was true nature trail and not covered with stone. Oh well, I look forward to volunteering anyway. I probably won't run the whole thing ever though.
This was a nice workout. There were a lot of parts that I'd walk in an ultra. I need to learn how to run more of the easier hills during a longer race. I'll practice that more down the road.
Tomorrow, I'm racing. Runner's World has a nearby trail race where I often run. I think 250 people on singletrack will be a disaster, but oh well. I'm going out hard and I'll see what happens. It is only 3.8 miles.
8 miles - 1:10:07 (8:46 pace) 217 feet of elevation gain
Monday, October 12, 2015
2015 West Virginia Trilogy Half Marathon Race Report
If there was a plus side to not making it past 25 miles on the second day of the Trilogy, it was that I was semi fresh for the Half Marathon. My legs were only slightly sore.
It was nice to be able to sleep in, although it was freezing cold overnight and I didn't really sleep. Because of that temperature, I struggled with what to wear yet again. It was supposed to be warm during the day, but I was still chilly at breakfast.
I wore a light weight long sleeve shirt. I was going to put on my jacket too, but then it felt fairly warm before the start. I would've just carried a handheld for this day, but I wanted to take videos again.
I really had no idea what I'd be able to do. I didn't really think I could race this, but I at least figured I would go fairly hard. I started toward the front and began to run on our usual loop.
This race is tricky. All of these fresh people, mostly younger folks, come in just for that race. It sort of pushes you more than the ultra crowd typically does. I was getting passed by young girls that I'd normally blow away. There were people in banana costumes that were faster than me.
I tried to run up some of the short hills in the first loop. I just didn't have it though. I was able to run okay on the flats though, so I ran there when we had that. I hiked the early climbs though.
Then, we got to Cardiac Hill, but got to do it downhill. What I found is that I had awesome downhill legs. The young women were clearly less experienced on the actual trails. They weren't comfortable and I flew back past them.
There was an out and back stretch. It was runnable uphill, but I could only get myself to run in spots. I blasted on downhill after the turnaround though. I passed the young women again.
It was a back and forth game. I pass them on the downhills, they pass me on the uphills. Eventually, most of them got by me for good on the uphills. There was one uphill that seemed easy on the 50K day, but was pretty killer now.
One of the women didn't manage to pull away, so we got to chatting. It was her first trail half marathon. I found out her name was Nina. What's funny is she had pigtails and a cute young girl look to her. I thought she was one of the 20 something women. Then she mentioned doing a marathon 16 years ago. Turns out she's older than she looks.
Nina pulled away on the uphill and flat trail. This was all the section that we ran during Friday's 50K. We then got out to the dirt road. I knew from Friday that I would fly on this.
I usually catch people with ease on these road stretches. It took awhile to catch Nina. She told me earlier that she does tris. It showed. I blew past her eventually, but then I stopped briefly at the aid station.
After the aid station, there was a long gradual uphill, followed by a descent. I was warned about this section and it did indeed suck. It went on and on. I mostly just walked.
It was great to finally see people just ahead of you. I then saw Nina and joked that I was coming for her. I turned and headed down. I ran well, but I didn't quite have the strength of earlier. I probably went a little too hard in the first half of this race.
I wasn't catching Nina, so that was discouraging. I made up some ground before the road. She had stopped to stretch. We got back to the road, but this time it was uphill. I didn't have the energy to run up.
Nina inspired me though. I was about to walk, but then I thought I might as well just catch her to say hello and then begin walking. I sprinted up to her.
I didn't fall back though. We ran together and talked more. First we hit some more of the out and back. Then, we turned off to a new section. It is actually the end of the 50 mile course, but I didn't make it that far.
This section was stunning. It was an open field. Nina was having a blast. She saw my GoPro and wanted some video of herself. This section was interesting too because they had fences to climb over, to keep cows containing. I don't know how my cramping self would've made it over that at the end of 50 miles.
This section was followed by a beautiful stream along the trail. There was so mud, but the half marathoners didn't get to experience the mud like us Trilogy folks did.
Finally, it was on to Cardiac Hill one more time. This hill seemed to go up and up and up. It felt longer than earlier in the week. I hiked up ahead of Nina and also passed one of the bananas.
It was great to be at the top and know how close the finish was. If Nina was closer, I might've just run in with her. Instead, I ran in on my own. It seemed like the course was around a mile short, but I certainly wouldn't complain about that. Nina finished just after me and was a huge boost for the day.
I did about what I expected for the full Trilogy. I finished 69 of the 94 miles. Other than running 50Ks, I really didn't train much over the summer. I only did about 30 miles per week. I really need to get my foot to heal.
This was another great experience and amazing weekend. I will definitely be back again. Whenever I do come back, I will train more. I need to work on running more gradual uphill. Maybe some easier repeats. I tend to hike more than I probably should. I also need back to back long runs, but on harder terrain. All my climbing in the last year has surely paid off, as I was much stronger for this weekend.
This was an outstanding event all around. It keeps growing and I think one day it will sell out in no time. I'm just lucky that I've been able experience The Mountain Institute, the amazing West Virginia mountains and the fun people that make up this event.
It was nice to be able to sleep in, although it was freezing cold overnight and I didn't really sleep. Because of that temperature, I struggled with what to wear yet again. It was supposed to be warm during the day, but I was still chilly at breakfast.
I wore a light weight long sleeve shirt. I was going to put on my jacket too, but then it felt fairly warm before the start. I would've just carried a handheld for this day, but I wanted to take videos again.
I really had no idea what I'd be able to do. I didn't really think I could race this, but I at least figured I would go fairly hard. I started toward the front and began to run on our usual loop.
This race is tricky. All of these fresh people, mostly younger folks, come in just for that race. It sort of pushes you more than the ultra crowd typically does. I was getting passed by young girls that I'd normally blow away. There were people in banana costumes that were faster than me.
I tried to run up some of the short hills in the first loop. I just didn't have it though. I was able to run okay on the flats though, so I ran there when we had that. I hiked the early climbs though.
Then, we got to Cardiac Hill, but got to do it downhill. What I found is that I had awesome downhill legs. The young women were clearly less experienced on the actual trails. They weren't comfortable and I flew back past them.
There was an out and back stretch. It was runnable uphill, but I could only get myself to run in spots. I blasted on downhill after the turnaround though. I passed the young women again.
It was a back and forth game. I pass them on the downhills, they pass me on the uphills. Eventually, most of them got by me for good on the uphills. There was one uphill that seemed easy on the 50K day, but was pretty killer now.
One of the women didn't manage to pull away, so we got to chatting. It was her first trail half marathon. I found out her name was Nina. What's funny is she had pigtails and a cute young girl look to her. I thought she was one of the 20 something women. Then she mentioned doing a marathon 16 years ago. Turns out she's older than she looks.
Nina pulled away on the uphill and flat trail. This was all the section that we ran during Friday's 50K. We then got out to the dirt road. I knew from Friday that I would fly on this.
I usually catch people with ease on these road stretches. It took awhile to catch Nina. She told me earlier that she does tris. It showed. I blew past her eventually, but then I stopped briefly at the aid station.
After the aid station, there was a long gradual uphill, followed by a descent. I was warned about this section and it did indeed suck. It went on and on. I mostly just walked.
It was great to finally see people just ahead of you. I then saw Nina and joked that I was coming for her. I turned and headed down. I ran well, but I didn't quite have the strength of earlier. I probably went a little too hard in the first half of this race.
I wasn't catching Nina, so that was discouraging. I made up some ground before the road. She had stopped to stretch. We got back to the road, but this time it was uphill. I didn't have the energy to run up.
Nina inspired me though. I was about to walk, but then I thought I might as well just catch her to say hello and then begin walking. I sprinted up to her.
I didn't fall back though. We ran together and talked more. First we hit some more of the out and back. Then, we turned off to a new section. It is actually the end of the 50 mile course, but I didn't make it that far.
This section was stunning. It was an open field. Nina was having a blast. She saw my GoPro and wanted some video of herself. This section was interesting too because they had fences to climb over, to keep cows containing. I don't know how my cramping self would've made it over that at the end of 50 miles.
This section was followed by a beautiful stream along the trail. There was so mud, but the half marathoners didn't get to experience the mud like us Trilogy folks did.
Finally, it was on to Cardiac Hill one more time. This hill seemed to go up and up and up. It felt longer than earlier in the week. I hiked up ahead of Nina and also passed one of the bananas.
It was great to be at the top and know how close the finish was. If Nina was closer, I might've just run in with her. Instead, I ran in on my own. It seemed like the course was around a mile short, but I certainly wouldn't complain about that. Nina finished just after me and was a huge boost for the day.
I did about what I expected for the full Trilogy. I finished 69 of the 94 miles. Other than running 50Ks, I really didn't train much over the summer. I only did about 30 miles per week. I really need to get my foot to heal.
This was another great experience and amazing weekend. I will definitely be back again. Whenever I do come back, I will train more. I need to work on running more gradual uphill. Maybe some easier repeats. I tend to hike more than I probably should. I also need back to back long runs, but on harder terrain. All my climbing in the last year has surely paid off, as I was much stronger for this weekend.
This was an outstanding event all around. It keeps growing and I think one day it will sell out in no time. I'm just lucky that I've been able experience The Mountain Institute, the amazing West Virginia mountains and the fun people that make up this event.
2015 West Virginia Trilogy 50 Miile (DNF) Race Report
It was a rough night trying to sleep on Friday. There was pouring rain and lots of wind. I got up a little earlier, ate breakfast and got changed. It was tough moving around in the early morning hours in the cold. For the 50 miler, it was a 6 AM start.
This is of course the make or break day of the Trilogy. Realistically, I didn't expect to finish, with the 14 hour cutoff. I just wanted to see what I could do and enjoy the experience. My training wasn't even close to where I wanted it to be. Mentally, knowing how much in rained overnight was draining. The trails were wet and muddy on Friday. I knew they'd be a disaster today.
Dressing was again tricky. Once again, I wore my shell over top of a short sleeve shirt. I was sweating a lot, but still also chilled at times. The temperature changed quite a bit on the course. I nearly made a last minute gear change. My shoes were still soaked from the day before. I elected to keep them on though, because they are my favorite shoes.
We started off in complete darkness this time and everyone had to run with a headlamp. I started a little farther up front on this day, but still about mid pack. The tricky part was that the cutoffs can be a challenge, but running the next day after 31 mountain miles was a new experience too.
I was actually quite surprised that the legs felt pretty good. I ran day one perfectly I guess. I couldn't mess around with the camera and GoPro today. We looped around the property again at the start. This time, we went back into the woods earlier though.
This was a tough, slow climb through some private property. We were heading up to West Virginia's high point, at Spruce Knob. It was incredibly foggy and the dampness of the air wasn't helping. I was drenched early.
Eventually, we came out the road. Luckily, I was up to Spruce Knob before the weekend began. I sort of knew where I was going. The fog made it nearly impossible to see, even with the headlamp. I was unsure if we were going to the actual Knob or not and nearly missed a turn. I waited for the guy behind me to catch up.
This road up to Spruce Knob was long and slow. I ran some and hiked a lot. It was a gradual uphill. It was definitely too early to be running. I couldn't see well, but at one point I turned off my headlamp and it was light enough to see without it. Apparently the rising sun would make an awesome view up there, if only it wasn't foggy.
I was surprised to get to the first aid station so early. My watch said 5.3 miles and it was supposed to be 6.9 miles. I was feeling okay at this point, but not great. I probably started low on calories. I did that at Bear Mountain too, so at least I knew I could push through an early low point.
The trail after Spruce Knob would've been a blast on a short run day. It was beautiful evergreens, but littered with rocks. I tucked in with two women and a guy. We'd run for a little bit and then hike for a little. I probably could've gone a little faster here, but I was being cautious. I enjoyed the conversation too.
The trail was descending a bit, but I was surprised that it wasn't dropping more. At one point, I saw Sarah go by us. A bunch of other people passed us as well. We were still well under cutoff pace, but I was wondering if we were going too slow for so early on.
I was feeling good, but not great, so I tucked right in with them. We then hit some nice ridge trail. The problem was that this section was super muddy. A few times, your feet would sink right in. It was frustrating to not be able to run a section that should be runnable.
I ate with this couple on Thursday evening. They finished pretty late on Friday. I was surprised when they passed me at this point. The woman had hiking poles and I'm thinking those would've helped me through the mud. I was impressed that they were doing so well. Me, I was just getting frustrated. My legs were losing it a bit too.
One of my big problems is that I pretty much already knew around mile 10 that I wouldn't be able to finish this thing. I wasn't in terrible shape, but not good enough either. I wasn't beat up, but my body was just moving slower than when it was fresh. I really concentrated on getting to the 25 mile aid station. That was my big goal. Whenever I got there, then I could assess the situation.
After the ridge running, we did some up and down along the meadow section. It was kind of familiar, as we ran up parts of it yesterday. One of my concerns was the aid station distance being off. If the next aid station was in the right location, then the distance between aid stations was much longer.
It turns out my fear was correct. It might've been over 10 miles between aid stations (at least according to my watch, which isn't always correct). There was a tough climb and I ended up passing the woman there. The trio I was running with got ahead of me. One of them fell on a slippery rock and I passed them before the Judy Springs aid station.
With so much time between aid stations, I took a lot of time at Judy Springs. I knew it was a long climb up too. I was interested to see how the creek section would be before the climb. I find this terrible in the 50K. It was great today though, as in the opposite direction, we were going slightly downhill. I ran a lot of it.
By now, one of the women went ahead of the other woman and the guy. I ran behind the duo, but then they eventually lost me as we headed up the steep climb. This was tough, but not quite a bad as I expected.
I hated the climb, but what I was looking forward to was 6-8 miles of 2,000 feet downhill to the White's Run aid station. I thought I had a decent cushion the cutoff now. The question would be whether I wanted to push up the climb after that aid station.
This section was supposed to be a gradual downhill, at least I and others though that. It did go down some, but it was a lot of ridge running and it went slightly up and slightly down. At least it wasn't muddy. I was frustrated by the terrain and not feeling great, so I ended up hiking a lot.
Around mile 20, I saw the two leaders. That was another kick in the gut, as they were probably already at mile 30. Gradually, I'd see more and more people. I was going slower and slower. I should've probably forced myself to run more. Instead, I was getting so upset by the course. I do get mentally tougher with the more ultras I do, but that is definitely still a major weakness of mine. I know how to keep moving, but I just don't do it fast enough.
I kept wondering when we'd get off the ridge. I knew we'd eventually end up at the bottom of the mountain. We weren't going down though, at least not much. At one point, I saw I was still at 2700 feet and had another 500 feet or so to descend. It was good to see more and more people coming back though. I knew I was getting closer.
At times, passing was tough, especially later. There were sticker bushes all along this ridge. I caught the couple from dinner again. There was a great pipeline view at one point, but I didn't get to take it in much.
It still looked good for me to make the cutoff. However, knowing that mileage is often off by a mile or so, I realized I should start pushing it more. My only goal at this point was to make the cutoff.
I kept cursing, wondering when the descent would actually start. Finally it did. I was really booking. I knew I'd be close and one guy coming up noted the same thing. This was a fun cliff switchback. Luckily, it was pretty runnable. I was very thankful to everyone hiking back up it. They moved out of my way and saw I was chasing the cutoff.
I had left the couple now and was on my own. I pushed and pushed and pushed. I could see that I was getting closer and closer. The one question was whether or not the aid station was right at the bottom or perhaps down the road a bit.
Thankfully, it was basically at the bottom (after one more creek crossing). I saw the duo from earlier heading back up. They were a few minutes ahead of the cutoff. They were awesome and actually finished at 14:01. That's one minute over the official time, but still impressive.
I made it down to the aid station just in time. I had 3 minutes to spare. The guy recording numbers, Joey, told me to hurry. I told him I was done.
We hungout for a bit at the aid station. They had watermelon and strawberries. The couple came in and then another woman. A younger woman had stopped too, after coming in a few minutes before me. It was kind of cool that I was the last person to make this cutoff.
I got a ride back from Joey. As we were driving away, we heard a woman yelling to wait for her. Apparently it was actually his wife. She got into the truck and I was confused. It was Sarah, who I had seen all weekend. I asked what happened to her, because she was well ahead of me. Apparently she took a wrong turn and added miles.
It was nice to get back to The Mountain Institute early. I didn't have to fight for showers and could relax for a bit. It was a beautiful day. Incredibly, the winner came through around this time. I actually dropped my watch in the Whites Run aid station area. I wasn't even sure how to get all the way out there on the back roads. Luckily, I can navigate well and I found it. Some guys were camping there and happened to have my Garmin. What luck!
At least with not going too far, I didn't destroy myself. However, I also didn't get to push myself into the deep and dark place that I thought I might have to go in this one. It would've taken that to finish and even then, I doubt I would've. I didn't quite know how to run this day. In hindsight, I probably should've pushed more early. However, I might've really blown then and not even made it as far as I did. Who knows exactly. It is all part of the learning experience.
I'm also not sure if the mud helped or hurt me. It kept me in check. If it was less muddy and more runnable, would I have simply blown up earlier? Who knows?
I'm now fresh enough heading into the half marathon. I know that I can certainly finish that. My early goal was to just get to White's Run in time and I did that. It would've been nice to make it farther, but I got about where I expected coming into the weekend. Going over 50K again on this day would've been nice. Regardless of the outcome, I had a blast. This is such a great event.
This is of course the make or break day of the Trilogy. Realistically, I didn't expect to finish, with the 14 hour cutoff. I just wanted to see what I could do and enjoy the experience. My training wasn't even close to where I wanted it to be. Mentally, knowing how much in rained overnight was draining. The trails were wet and muddy on Friday. I knew they'd be a disaster today.
Dressing was again tricky. Once again, I wore my shell over top of a short sleeve shirt. I was sweating a lot, but still also chilled at times. The temperature changed quite a bit on the course. I nearly made a last minute gear change. My shoes were still soaked from the day before. I elected to keep them on though, because they are my favorite shoes.
We started off in complete darkness this time and everyone had to run with a headlamp. I started a little farther up front on this day, but still about mid pack. The tricky part was that the cutoffs can be a challenge, but running the next day after 31 mountain miles was a new experience too.
I was actually quite surprised that the legs felt pretty good. I ran day one perfectly I guess. I couldn't mess around with the camera and GoPro today. We looped around the property again at the start. This time, we went back into the woods earlier though.
This was a tough, slow climb through some private property. We were heading up to West Virginia's high point, at Spruce Knob. It was incredibly foggy and the dampness of the air wasn't helping. I was drenched early.
Eventually, we came out the road. Luckily, I was up to Spruce Knob before the weekend began. I sort of knew where I was going. The fog made it nearly impossible to see, even with the headlamp. I was unsure if we were going to the actual Knob or not and nearly missed a turn. I waited for the guy behind me to catch up.
This road up to Spruce Knob was long and slow. I ran some and hiked a lot. It was a gradual uphill. It was definitely too early to be running. I couldn't see well, but at one point I turned off my headlamp and it was light enough to see without it. Apparently the rising sun would make an awesome view up there, if only it wasn't foggy.
I was surprised to get to the first aid station so early. My watch said 5.3 miles and it was supposed to be 6.9 miles. I was feeling okay at this point, but not great. I probably started low on calories. I did that at Bear Mountain too, so at least I knew I could push through an early low point.
The trail after Spruce Knob would've been a blast on a short run day. It was beautiful evergreens, but littered with rocks. I tucked in with two women and a guy. We'd run for a little bit and then hike for a little. I probably could've gone a little faster here, but I was being cautious. I enjoyed the conversation too.
The trail was descending a bit, but I was surprised that it wasn't dropping more. At one point, I saw Sarah go by us. A bunch of other people passed us as well. We were still well under cutoff pace, but I was wondering if we were going too slow for so early on.
I was feeling good, but not great, so I tucked right in with them. We then hit some nice ridge trail. The problem was that this section was super muddy. A few times, your feet would sink right in. It was frustrating to not be able to run a section that should be runnable.
I ate with this couple on Thursday evening. They finished pretty late on Friday. I was surprised when they passed me at this point. The woman had hiking poles and I'm thinking those would've helped me through the mud. I was impressed that they were doing so well. Me, I was just getting frustrated. My legs were losing it a bit too.
One of my big problems is that I pretty much already knew around mile 10 that I wouldn't be able to finish this thing. I wasn't in terrible shape, but not good enough either. I wasn't beat up, but my body was just moving slower than when it was fresh. I really concentrated on getting to the 25 mile aid station. That was my big goal. Whenever I got there, then I could assess the situation.
After the ridge running, we did some up and down along the meadow section. It was kind of familiar, as we ran up parts of it yesterday. One of my concerns was the aid station distance being off. If the next aid station was in the right location, then the distance between aid stations was much longer.
It turns out my fear was correct. It might've been over 10 miles between aid stations (at least according to my watch, which isn't always correct). There was a tough climb and I ended up passing the woman there. The trio I was running with got ahead of me. One of them fell on a slippery rock and I passed them before the Judy Springs aid station.
With so much time between aid stations, I took a lot of time at Judy Springs. I knew it was a long climb up too. I was interested to see how the creek section would be before the climb. I find this terrible in the 50K. It was great today though, as in the opposite direction, we were going slightly downhill. I ran a lot of it.
By now, one of the women went ahead of the other woman and the guy. I ran behind the duo, but then they eventually lost me as we headed up the steep climb. This was tough, but not quite a bad as I expected.
I hated the climb, but what I was looking forward to was 6-8 miles of 2,000 feet downhill to the White's Run aid station. I thought I had a decent cushion the cutoff now. The question would be whether I wanted to push up the climb after that aid station.
This section was supposed to be a gradual downhill, at least I and others though that. It did go down some, but it was a lot of ridge running and it went slightly up and slightly down. At least it wasn't muddy. I was frustrated by the terrain and not feeling great, so I ended up hiking a lot.
Around mile 20, I saw the two leaders. That was another kick in the gut, as they were probably already at mile 30. Gradually, I'd see more and more people. I was going slower and slower. I should've probably forced myself to run more. Instead, I was getting so upset by the course. I do get mentally tougher with the more ultras I do, but that is definitely still a major weakness of mine. I know how to keep moving, but I just don't do it fast enough.
I kept wondering when we'd get off the ridge. I knew we'd eventually end up at the bottom of the mountain. We weren't going down though, at least not much. At one point, I saw I was still at 2700 feet and had another 500 feet or so to descend. It was good to see more and more people coming back though. I knew I was getting closer.
At times, passing was tough, especially later. There were sticker bushes all along this ridge. I caught the couple from dinner again. There was a great pipeline view at one point, but I didn't get to take it in much.
It still looked good for me to make the cutoff. However, knowing that mileage is often off by a mile or so, I realized I should start pushing it more. My only goal at this point was to make the cutoff.
I kept cursing, wondering when the descent would actually start. Finally it did. I was really booking. I knew I'd be close and one guy coming up noted the same thing. This was a fun cliff switchback. Luckily, it was pretty runnable. I was very thankful to everyone hiking back up it. They moved out of my way and saw I was chasing the cutoff.
I had left the couple now and was on my own. I pushed and pushed and pushed. I could see that I was getting closer and closer. The one question was whether or not the aid station was right at the bottom or perhaps down the road a bit.
Thankfully, it was basically at the bottom (after one more creek crossing). I saw the duo from earlier heading back up. They were a few minutes ahead of the cutoff. They were awesome and actually finished at 14:01. That's one minute over the official time, but still impressive.
I made it down to the aid station just in time. I had 3 minutes to spare. The guy recording numbers, Joey, told me to hurry. I told him I was done.
We hungout for a bit at the aid station. They had watermelon and strawberries. The couple came in and then another woman. A younger woman had stopped too, after coming in a few minutes before me. It was kind of cool that I was the last person to make this cutoff.
I got a ride back from Joey. As we were driving away, we heard a woman yelling to wait for her. Apparently it was actually his wife. She got into the truck and I was confused. It was Sarah, who I had seen all weekend. I asked what happened to her, because she was well ahead of me. Apparently she took a wrong turn and added miles.
It was nice to get back to The Mountain Institute early. I didn't have to fight for showers and could relax for a bit. It was a beautiful day. Incredibly, the winner came through around this time. I actually dropped my watch in the Whites Run aid station area. I wasn't even sure how to get all the way out there on the back roads. Luckily, I can navigate well and I found it. Some guys were camping there and happened to have my Garmin. What luck!
At least with not going too far, I didn't destroy myself. However, I also didn't get to push myself into the deep and dark place that I thought I might have to go in this one. It would've taken that to finish and even then, I doubt I would've. I didn't quite know how to run this day. In hindsight, I probably should've pushed more early. However, I might've really blown then and not even made it as far as I did. Who knows exactly. It is all part of the learning experience.
I'm also not sure if the mud helped or hurt me. It kept me in check. If it was less muddy and more runnable, would I have simply blown up earlier? Who knows?
I'm now fresh enough heading into the half marathon. I know that I can certainly finish that. My early goal was to just get to White's Run in time and I did that. It would've been nice to make it farther, but I got about where I expected coming into the weekend. Going over 50K again on this day would've been nice. Regardless of the outcome, I had a blast. This is such a great event.
2015 West Virginia Trilogy 50K Race Report
To date my favorite race ever is the West Virginia Trilogy
50K. Last year, I had a blast, even with
7 hours of running in the rain. The
trails are tough, but fair and the scenery is gorgeous. The race takes place at the Mountain
Institute near Circleville, West Virgina.
It takes close to an hour to get to the race location from town (which isn't even a town). TMI has a few yurts and they normally host
educational programs. This weekend, they
host us too. You can camp there all
weekend and they feed you meals as well.
My mileage hasn’t been great this summer and my training
wasn’t what I wanted. I almost skipped
this race, but it has been calling me all year.
I thought of maybe doing a shorter race, but opted instead for the full
Trilogy (50K on Friday, 50M on Saturday and Half Marathon on Sunday). I did get three straight days of 30 miles, 15
miles and 15 miles on Labor Day weekend. That was much easier
terrain though. I’ve done races with
more gain and more technical stuff, but this race definitely has a good amount of both.
Following this, is one of the most frustrating parts of the
entire course. It is another 1,000 foot
climb, followed by a descent. The
descent is tricky because it is a narrow ridge.
I found it more runnable this time.
Still, I was slow. A woman and a
guy passed me.
I was so pleased to see the “1 mile to go” plate. Of course, there was a climb of several
hundred feet there. This was a struggle,
as my lower back had been bothering me.
The aid station had told me it was 3.8 miles to the finish, but it
seemed to be more like 2.8 miles.
I drove in on Thursday.
I stopped at nearby Spruce Knob (WV’s highest point). The scenery there was breathtaking, as was
the drive in. I love this area. The leaves changing made it even more
incredible.
My mileage hasn’t been great this summer and my training
wasn’t what I wanted. I almost skipped
this race, but it has been calling me all year.
I thought of maybe doing a shorter race, but opted instead for the full
Trilogy (50K on Friday, 50M on Saturday and Half Marathon on Sunday). I did get three straight days of 30 miles, 15
miles and 15 miles on Labor Day weekend. That was much easier
terrain though. I’ve done races with
more gain and more technical stuff, but this race definitely has a good amount of both.
My whole plan for the 50K was to take it easier. I got out of bed after little sleep and
barely made the start, with all the prep I had to do. We run a loop
around the property. That was beautiful,
as the sun was rising. There were some
sheep nearby. Last year, I started near
the front and finished 13th.
This year, I opted more for the back and slowly picked off some people.
I ended up following a woman, Sarah I guess, in the early
going. Someone called out her name
out as we finished the short loop. I was actually following two
women for the bit. Their pace was a
little quicker than I’d like. I
eventually passed them out of the first aid station, on the roads. Those are still my strength.
I really hated the one high weed section last year. It was a little better this year, but still
terrible. I ended up catching a group of
women. They pulled away on some of the
creek stuff. I had to keep telling
myself to take it easy. I ended up
running with one woman. She was from
Harrisonburg. I never did get her name.
We ran quite a bit together and I was telling her about the
course. Knowing everything was
definitely an advantage today. She took
less time at the second aid station and pulled ahead. I probably wasn’t drinking quite enough, but
my fueling was okay.
I got passed by a guy on the long climb. I can’t recall his name, but we chatted a
bit. I then caught back up to the woman
near the top. We ran together for most
of the downhill. This is a fire road
type trail that is just awesome. I
cruised on in to the Judy Springs aid station.
Following this, is one of the most frustrating parts of the
entire course. It is another 1,000 foot
climb, followed by a descent. The
descent is tricky because it is a narrow ridge.
I found it more runnable this time.
Still, I was slow. A woman and a
guy passed me.
There’s still quite a bit of trail along the creek. This part was slightly uphill and frustrated
the hell out of me. I ended up hiking it
and cursing. This loop took forever.
It was great to get back to the aid station. I took forever to put my Tailwind in my
bottles. I ate a bunch of food too. The woman caught up to me again, but I left
the aid station before her.
Up next was the worst part of the run. There is a pretty meadow on this 800 foot
climb. However, after that is some
terrible trail. I took a bunch of photos
of the views in the meadow. I had taken
off my jacket, but then I was cold. The
temperature changed too much and I had my jacket on more than I probably
should’ve throughout the race.
The tough trail was called the Lumberjack Trail. It is a ton of rocks and mud. It is flat, so it should be runnable, but it
hardly is. I was determined to beat it
this time. I ran the beginning. I went about 1.5 miles on it.
I was proud of myself, as I passed 3 people. Then, I got frustrated. It was like Groundhog Day, the same trail
over and over again. It never
ended. One guy passed me back. I mostly just hiked. The other problem is you can’t tell when it
will end. Finally, it did and came out
to a back road. I ran all along the road
into the final aid station.
I joked with the aid station people about how much the previous section sucked and the next one was fun. I took a bunch of snacks and was off. This section is so pleasant. It goes largely downhill and has a lot of
woods road. I was able to run a
lot. I hiked here and there too.
I was so pleased to see the “1 mile to go” plate. Of course, there was a climb of several
hundred feet there. This was a struggle,
as my lower back had been bothering me.
The aid station had told me it was 3.8 miles to the finish, but it
seemed to be more like 2.8 miles.
I came to the top of the climb and to some tents. I knew we ran around the open fields to loop
back to the start/finish line. I ended
up finishing at 7 hours and 25 minutes.
Last year, I ran 6 hours and 53 minutes.
I’m very happy with how I ran.
Since I was on the conservative side, my body doesn’t feel
too bad. My legs aren’t that sore. My problem foot area is still a bit of a
problem. My lower back is the worst part
of me. I put some cream on it. I have on compression socks to try to
recover. I’ve been carrying a camera and
GoPro to make a video. I might have to
go without the weight of those tomorrow, or maybe drop it at the halfway drop
bag area.
Tomorrow will surely be a test. I’ll have to see how recovery goes. I’ll give it my best, maybe I can push
through. The cutoff times might be
tough. I love the challenge, no matter
what happens. We start at 6 AM tomorrow. I am ready.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Rough Tammany Fall Run
I felt good after the Jacobsburg run over the weekend. With the WV Trilogy on tap later this week, I didn't want to run too much. I decided to get out there today and loop Mt. Tammany. It has been awhile since I headed north.
I figured it would be a nice fall day. It was, however, it was actually kind of warm for a run. That was especially true considering that I wore a black short sleeve shirt and my hydration vest. I was soaked by the end of the run.
I headed out early in the afternoon. I was hoping for two loops, but even one would do. I also thought I'd see more fall colors. They are okay now, but definitely a few weeks from their peak.
I started off running until the first steep part. I was surprised with how labored my breathing was. It was just too warm. I began hiking that steep part then.
I had hoped to take a lot of fall color photos and videos today. I stopped for a few minutes at the first overlook to take some photos. It wasn't as great as I expected though. A guy was stopped there too. I then hiked on past him. This cost me a few minutes.
I cruised up the boulders with my breathing labored. It was funny seeing people struggling to go down them. Too much of this uphill red trail is exposed. It was quite hot going there.
I passed a few hikers near the top. I caught up to a woman and her dog. The dog was running around off the leash. He was friendly, but it probably was good they didn't encounter the bears up there.
I was fresh near the top, so I ran some parts that I don't normally. Still, I didn't quite feel great. I ate lunch an hour before and my head was a mess. I think maybe my calories were low. It was very concerning though, as this is my last run before the races. I've had some good days and some bad days on Tammany though. I won't worry too much about it.
I took some photos and videos at the view. Since I was kind of feeling okay (the legs were strong anyway), I ran a bit of the blue trail ridge. I ran past a few more hikers.
I then ran the whole blue trail down. My head was still a little screwed up, so I was cautious going down. I definitely didn't fly down it. I think some of the hikers I ran by on the technical stuff were impressed though.
I took it easy going down and simply enjoyed myself. I thought about another loop or out toward Sunfish Pond a bit. However, I still didn't feel great, so I decided one loop was enough.
I cruised past the waterfall at the bottom. Then, it was back to the parking area. I finished up feeling a little better than earlier, but that run still took more out of me than it should have.
I was happy to get back up to Tammany. This was a frustrating day so close to the big weekend. Still, I have to just ignore it and see what happens this weekend. My training isn't where I want it heading into this and perhaps more importantly, my head isn't there either. That second part is what I'll really need to straightened out if I am going to succeed.
3.57 miles - 57:44 (16:11 pace) 1187 feet of elevation gain
Mt. Tammany 36th Summit of 2015
I figured it would be a nice fall day. It was, however, it was actually kind of warm for a run. That was especially true considering that I wore a black short sleeve shirt and my hydration vest. I was soaked by the end of the run.
I headed out early in the afternoon. I was hoping for two loops, but even one would do. I also thought I'd see more fall colors. They are okay now, but definitely a few weeks from their peak.
I started off running until the first steep part. I was surprised with how labored my breathing was. It was just too warm. I began hiking that steep part then.I had hoped to take a lot of fall color photos and videos today. I stopped for a few minutes at the first overlook to take some photos. It wasn't as great as I expected though. A guy was stopped there too. I then hiked on past him. This cost me a few minutes.
I cruised up the boulders with my breathing labored. It was funny seeing people struggling to go down them. Too much of this uphill red trail is exposed. It was quite hot going there.
I passed a few hikers near the top. I caught up to a woman and her dog. The dog was running around off the leash. He was friendly, but it probably was good they didn't encounter the bears up there.
I was fresh near the top, so I ran some parts that I don't normally. Still, I didn't quite feel great. I ate lunch an hour before and my head was a mess. I think maybe my calories were low. It was very concerning though, as this is my last run before the races. I've had some good days and some bad days on Tammany though. I won't worry too much about it.
I took some photos and videos at the view. Since I was kind of feeling okay (the legs were strong anyway), I ran a bit of the blue trail ridge. I ran past a few more hikers.
I then ran the whole blue trail down. My head was still a little screwed up, so I was cautious going down. I definitely didn't fly down it. I think some of the hikers I ran by on the technical stuff were impressed though.
I took it easy going down and simply enjoyed myself. I thought about another loop or out toward Sunfish Pond a bit. However, I still didn't feel great, so I decided one loop was enough.
I cruised past the waterfall at the bottom. Then, it was back to the parking area. I finished up feeling a little better than earlier, but that run still took more out of me than it should have.
I was happy to get back up to Tammany. This was a frustrating day so close to the big weekend. Still, I have to just ignore it and see what happens this weekend. My training isn't where I want it heading into this and perhaps more importantly, my head isn't there either. That second part is what I'll really need to straightened out if I am going to succeed.
3.57 miles - 57:44 (16:11 pace) 1187 feet of elevation gain
Mt. Tammany 36th Summit of 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Post Rain Chilly Fall Run
I haven't run since last Saturday. It has been a week of excuses. First, it was too humid early in the week. Then, we had crazy rain and cold to end the week. Even today, it was still chilly and I was going to skip the run. Instead, I headed to Jacobsburg for around an 11 AM start.
There was no rain, but it was still cloudy and cold. It was in the upper 40s. I had on shorts, but I put on my shell jacket over a long sleeve shirt. I even had on gloves, which I took off early. I unzipped my jacket too. I was sweating a lot early, until I got used to it.
My plan was to run 10 miles. Usually, I run the main loop first and finish with the shorter open field loop. This time, I started with the open field first. Even with it being cloudy out, the start was pretty. The leaves haven't fully changed, but they are turning. This stretch along the creek is one of the prettiest around.
I started off comfortable. I knew with cooler weather, I'd be faster than I have been. The humidity of summer kills me. This was perfect conditions, even if I was a slightly overdressed. I also knew I'd be able to run the whole time.
I took the grind up the hill toward the open field. It was overcast and very windy when I got up to the fields. I was making some solid time. I was happy to be running sub 9 minute miles.
I knew the second half of this loop would be fast and downhill. That was the case and I cruised. I had been breathing pretty heavy going uphill, but now I was good.
The only downside to this run was that I was paying too much attention to the pace. I kept figuring it out in my head. It seemed to be dropping and dropping. Because of this pace focus, I didn't enjoy the leaves as much as I could've.
I went back out along the creek again. Then, it was a gradual uphill. Some guy was hiking there and I think looking at birds. I didn't really see many people out there today. Most were just on the main path.
I kept putting in solid miles. I got to mile 5 and was tiring a little. I just focused on being solid though. I wasn't pushing the pace, but I definitely wasn't going easy either. I could feel some of the small hills now.
I concentrated on getting to the powerline hill. I cruised through the singletrack section. This was muddy and rocky and the storms knocked some leaves down. They also knocked down a big tree. I was able to get around it though and it didn't cost me much time.
A woman was coming out of the parking lot as I was near the powerline. I later saw her in front of me, but she turned off before I could follow. Getting up the powerline was my big focus. I knew I had to be steady. I felt surprisingly good running up it. I was stronger than I expected.
My breathing labored some, but this was the final real climb. I got to the top and it was a huge relief. Now, it was time to fly. I opened it up going downhill.
This section can be so fast. I didn't push too hard, but I did kick it up a gear. This was a very strong downhill mile. I had been hoping for a sub 8:30 overall pace, but I didn't think I'd be getting that now. Still, I wanted a strong finish.
There is a low lying area that often has water. Usually, you can get around it. Today, it was higher and I had to run right through it. I was back on the road and around mile 9 now.
The previous mile took a lot out of me, so I knew this final one would be tough. The short hills slowed my tiring legs. I didn't think I had much left, but I pushed forward. I was surprised with about half a mile left when I realized that I had made up so much time that I actually was going to run a sub 8:30 pace now.
I got back to my car at 9.62 miles. I wanted 10 miles, so I went out along the creek again. I ran almost to the hill there. Then, I saw a dog walker. I turned around at 9.88 miles and ran to mile 10.
I was under the 8:30 pace. Earlier, I didn't think I'd get there unless I was really willing to kill myself. Although the course wasn't challenging, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. A week before the WV Trilogy, this was a great run.
I'm not sure what next week will hold. I've been taking off too much lately. I'm just going to go out there and do it. I will be fresh for sure, but I might actually be too rusty. I'll have a good time anyway.
I don't know if I'll be up for running tomorrow or not. I definitely want to get another two runs in before my race. Kristin is going to meet me on Wednesday to run at Lehigh. I hope to run before that though.
10 miles - 1:24:31 (8:27 pace) 609 feet of elevation gain
There was no rain, but it was still cloudy and cold. It was in the upper 40s. I had on shorts, but I put on my shell jacket over a long sleeve shirt. I even had on gloves, which I took off early. I unzipped my jacket too. I was sweating a lot early, until I got used to it.
My plan was to run 10 miles. Usually, I run the main loop first and finish with the shorter open field loop. This time, I started with the open field first. Even with it being cloudy out, the start was pretty. The leaves haven't fully changed, but they are turning. This stretch along the creek is one of the prettiest around.
I started off comfortable. I knew with cooler weather, I'd be faster than I have been. The humidity of summer kills me. This was perfect conditions, even if I was a slightly overdressed. I also knew I'd be able to run the whole time.
I took the grind up the hill toward the open field. It was overcast and very windy when I got up to the fields. I was making some solid time. I was happy to be running sub 9 minute miles.
I knew the second half of this loop would be fast and downhill. That was the case and I cruised. I had been breathing pretty heavy going uphill, but now I was good.
The only downside to this run was that I was paying too much attention to the pace. I kept figuring it out in my head. It seemed to be dropping and dropping. Because of this pace focus, I didn't enjoy the leaves as much as I could've.
I went back out along the creek again. Then, it was a gradual uphill. Some guy was hiking there and I think looking at birds. I didn't really see many people out there today. Most were just on the main path.
I kept putting in solid miles. I got to mile 5 and was tiring a little. I just focused on being solid though. I wasn't pushing the pace, but I definitely wasn't going easy either. I could feel some of the small hills now.
I concentrated on getting to the powerline hill. I cruised through the singletrack section. This was muddy and rocky and the storms knocked some leaves down. They also knocked down a big tree. I was able to get around it though and it didn't cost me much time.
A woman was coming out of the parking lot as I was near the powerline. I later saw her in front of me, but she turned off before I could follow. Getting up the powerline was my big focus. I knew I had to be steady. I felt surprisingly good running up it. I was stronger than I expected.
My breathing labored some, but this was the final real climb. I got to the top and it was a huge relief. Now, it was time to fly. I opened it up going downhill.
This section can be so fast. I didn't push too hard, but I did kick it up a gear. This was a very strong downhill mile. I had been hoping for a sub 8:30 overall pace, but I didn't think I'd be getting that now. Still, I wanted a strong finish.
There is a low lying area that often has water. Usually, you can get around it. Today, it was higher and I had to run right through it. I was back on the road and around mile 9 now.
The previous mile took a lot out of me, so I knew this final one would be tough. The short hills slowed my tiring legs. I didn't think I had much left, but I pushed forward. I was surprised with about half a mile left when I realized that I had made up so much time that I actually was going to run a sub 8:30 pace now.
I got back to my car at 9.62 miles. I wanted 10 miles, so I went out along the creek again. I ran almost to the hill there. Then, I saw a dog walker. I turned around at 9.88 miles and ran to mile 10.
I was under the 8:30 pace. Earlier, I didn't think I'd get there unless I was really willing to kill myself. Although the course wasn't challenging, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. A week before the WV Trilogy, this was a great run.
I'm not sure what next week will hold. I've been taking off too much lately. I'm just going to go out there and do it. I will be fresh for sure, but I might actually be too rusty. I'll have a good time anyway.
I don't know if I'll be up for running tomorrow or not. I definitely want to get another two runs in before my race. Kristin is going to meet me on Wednesday to run at Lehigh. I hope to run before that though.
10 miles - 1:24:31 (8:27 pace) 609 feet of elevation gain
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)