I wanted to get some crazy repeats in today. I know Angie could use some too. We decided to head to the Delps Trail, for the toughest climbing around. The plan was to go up and down maybe 4 or 5 times. I haven't been there in like two months.
It was super hot. I wore a sleeveless shirt and was soaked very early on. Toward the end, my shorts got wet too. I'm definitely not used to the humidity at this point in the year.
My biggest concern was realized when we got to the trailhead. It was starting to get a little overgrown 2 months ago. However, I never expected it to be as crazy as it was. It is clear that almost no one uses the trail from the bottom. It was a haven for ticks. I don't think we came across any thankfully.
I had to lead, as Angie was concerned about ticks and the potential for rattlesnakes. I was less concerned about snakes, mainly because I've still never seen one. It would be a decent place for them to be at though.
I ran through the high grass leading the way. I knew the running wouldn't last very long and it didn't. Eventually, we were hiking. Then, we got to the steepest part, the stone steps. My legs were burning and so were my lungs. I wasn't ready for this.
Angie came prepared with water, a vest and poles. I brought nothing. My plan was to drink from the spring. We got to the spring and it was completely dry. I was screwed, as I didn't want to go back down through the high grass until we were done. Angie did offer some water, but I turned it down.
We mostly hiked up and up. Around 3/4 of a mile, we hit the AT. We had over 700 feet of gain already. This was a solid first climb. I ran down where I could and Angie fell behind. That wouldn't last though.
We decided that we would shorten the course and use just the stone steps. It is the steepest part. It is so tough to run, so it would mostly be a hike up and down. Still, a great workout though.
I let Angie lead now, since I was holding her back on the first one. I was still breathing like crazy. At some point, I fell on some slippery dirt above the spring. I was okay though.
We stuck together for a few repeats. Then, she dropped her pack and poles and left me in the dust. She tries to tell me she isn't good on hills, but I know she's better than me. I was tired and lost ground quickly.
Each repeat was getting us between 200 to 250 feet of elevation gain and barely any miles. My legs and lungs continued to burn. Around 1200 feet of elevation gain, I wondered how I could even do much more.
Luckily, I do have some toughness. Eventually, Angie did lap me with how slow I was going. She's definitely ready to go for her race. Me, I'm surely in worse shape than last year. I took another fall on the dirt part of the trail. This was a little worse than the first one. We did wear the dirt out with repeats.
I hit 2,000 feet of gain and my watch wasn't even at 3 miles yet. That was quite crazy. I've never done so much repeating of steep stuff like this without some rest or easier parts. This was all tough. I decided this repeat to continue up to the AT. That would add more gain.
There is a somewhat flat part, so that was a nice break. I really couldn't run back down though. By now, I got over 2300 feet of gain though. I was feeling a crash coming on, with no water or food, but I knew I could keep going.
I was determined now to get to 3000 feet of gain. I went up for another regular repeat. I told Angie I'd be done after this one. I almost was, but I kept at it.
I needed about 250 feet for 3000 feet when I got to bottom. I decided I would go up farther and keep at it. I climbed and climbed and climbed. I was so tired. This was perfect end of race fatigue simulation for me.
My watch got me over 3K, but of course it was corrected to be short of that. Still, I was happy with this workout. I think Angie was hoping to run more, but she still got a good workout. It would be hard not to. So few miles, but so much gain.
It was great to show her the course. However, we won't be back this summer. That is for sure, as it is just too overgrown. We blew through the high grass again at the end. I was so beat and thirsty when we got back to the car. I was glad she drove, as I didn't want to move.
Tomorrow, I'll probably take the day off. I may run on Saturday, possibly with Angie again. If not, I'm not sure I'll run on my own. There is a night group run on Sunday night that I'm looking forward to. It should be fun and we got permission from the park.
5.23 miles - 2:35:39 (29:45 pace) 2953 feet of elevation gain
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