Finally Adapted at South Mountain

Between Eastern States and making a video of Eastern States, I've been too busy to run.  Friday evening was my last one.  I had to get out this evening, even though the video isn't done.

The weather had been another reason I didn't want to get out there.  The last few days, it was in or around the 90s and super humid.  August had finally arrived.  I went shirtless and was sweating by the end of this evening run, but it wasn't terrible.

I figured that I'd just do one loop at South Mountain (Lehigh) and take it easy.  I got there a little after 6 PM.  I was cruising down the first hill and was surprised to run into two trail runners.  I never see anyone here.  I was even more surprised to see it was my friends Wayne and Todd.  They were doing repeats.  I said hello and was on my way.

I was wearing my new Bushido shoes.  They caused my ankle to twist a few times, but in general were pretty good.  I have them laced differently and may have to adjust them again.

I cruised on the downhill.  I knew the climbs could be a challenge.  As I crossed the road, a mountain biker was coming out of the trail.  After that, I saw my first deer.  I think there were 6 of them, including a baby, throughout the run.

I was interested to see how the first climb would go.  I struggled with the heat so much earlier in the summer that I had to hike these.  It wasn't easy, but I was steady and I managed it today.

Since it was still early, the second climb was a bit of a challenge.  It is a gradual one.  My breathing labored some and my lungs were burning.  Luckily, I knew how long the climb was and I made it to the top without stopping.

Some of the trail was a little overgrown in spots, but overall not too bad.  I crossed the next road and enjoyed the rocky descent.  I didn't fly over the rocks, but I was solid.  It was still hot and I wanted to be conservative.  My feet seemed to get better and better over the rocks.

The previous climb and final long gradual climb were so difficult before I was heat adapted.  After the view, I started that gradual climb.  I took my time, but it seemed rather easy today.  I'm sure all the steep elevation training is helping now too.  I never even thought about stopping.

I wanted to get under an 11 minute pace.  I realized that that would definitely happen with the road running at the end.  I ran up that and got more elevation too.  I wanted to get to 4.5 miles, so I ran a short bit in the parking lot to get there.

It was a short, but solid run.  I was thrilled that it went much better than my last run there in June.  I'm finally used to the heat.  I still can't push in it, but at least I can manage to run easy.  I couldn't even do that before.

Tomorrow, I plan to run again.  I'm not sure where at or how far.  I'd like to get to Tammany, but unsure if I'm up for driving there.  With a slight cough, I haven't been running much lately.  I'm still not over it, but should run more anyway.

4.5 miles - 48:14 (10:43 pace) 694 feet of elevation gain

Eastern States 100 Weekend Running

For the second straight year, we are camping and hanging out at the Eastern States 100 in Waterville, PA.  I have a bunch of friends running it.  I don’t think it is a race I’d ever do.

I wanted to get a short Friday night run in.  Since the campground is on the course, that worked out great.  There are even streamers next to our camper.  This is about ¾ of a mile into the race.

It was pretty cool out.  I went with a short sleeve shirt.  It was cool by the end of the run.  I could’ve went shirtless I guess.  

I followed the course along the Mid State Trail.  I knew the first nasty climb would be around mile 2.  I decided that I would at least run part of it.  It was already 6:30 PM when I started, so I couldn’t go too far.

I thought this would be a nice and relatively flat run until the climb.  I was sure wrong about that.  I got new La Sportiva Bushido shoes and decided to try them out.  With the conditions, I’m not sure how to judge them yet.

A couple women asked me my race number.  I told them I wasn’t racing.  I headed up off from the campground.  It was a short uphill before the trail flattened out.

It wasn’t long before I hit crap.  The good thing was the trail didn’t climb all the way to the top.  The bad part was that it ran on a sloped ridge along the side of the mountain.  The top of the mountain was to my left and down to my right was Little Pine Creek.  The trail was very narrow and somewhat sloped.  To make matters worse, it went up and down around trees and it had a bunch of very loose rocks too.

I was really frustrated with this part.  Since it was relatively flat, it was runnable.  However, it was annoying.  So much for having nice ridge running.  This ledge was a bitch.

I’ve been on sections like this before.  However, never for such a long period of time.  It went on for over 2 miles.  I had even thought about just turning around at some points.  I pushed forward though, because I really wanted to climb.

My watch was showing distance and elevation and time.  I’m not sure if it ever got a signal though.  It wasn’t working in the beginning.  I don’t know why or how it was getting any distance readings, but at least it was showing something.

There was one up and down, but most of the run was along the ledge.  The unevenness continued to play with me and I cursed a lot.  Right before the road crossing and the climb, there was a nice footbridge.  It went over a neat little pool on another creek.

I crossed the road and began the long climb.  I did this part during a training run here in the winter.  It was brutal then, but it was snow covered.  The first ¼ or so was flat loose rocks.  It basically was more of a dry creek bed than a trail.  This first part of the climb was about 400 feet of elevation gain in ¼ of a mile.  It was steep.  There aren’t many sections of trail steep enough to bother my back any more, but this did just that.

It flattened out for a bit and then climbed some more.  I kept going up and up.  When I got to 750 total feet of elevation gain on my watch, I decided to head back down.  That wasn’t much better though.  With its steepness and rockiness, it was mostly not runnable.

I slowly hiked my way down.  Even that was a challenge.  My feet were pressed against the front of my shoes.  It was great to get to the bottom and back on the road.  It had been getting pretty dark deep in the hollows too.

I crossed the road and got back on the ledge.  I wasn’t sure why, but this section now seemed runnable and fun.  Maybe it was because I was going the other direction, but the slope didn’t bother me much.  It was less rocky on this end too.  I’m also sure I was happy to almost be done.

It was great to get to mile 5.  I saw another runner headed out as I was coming back.  I guess he is crewing.  I don’t think either of us actually expected to see another runner out on these remote trails.

The last mile was definitely the worst with the rocks and just the ledge in general.  I hiked a lot more of it.  I couldn’t wait to be done.  I finished up well over 6 miles.  It was nice to start and finish at the camper.

I’m going to video a lot of the race tomorrow and follow along.  I also want to get a run in.  I’d like to do 10-12 miles.  Hopefully, I can do that during the afternoon.  Now that I saw how crappy going the race’s direction is, I’m sure I’ll head the other direction tomorrow.  I’d like to say it can’t be any worse, but I’m sure it can be worse.

6.45 miles - 1:30:30 (14:02 pace)

Catfish Fire Tower Out and Back

I wanted to do something else today.  When Angie and I ran with Scott Jurek on the AT, I really enjoyed that section.  It is near Blairstown, NJ.  I wanted to explore more of it though, so I headed there this afternoon.

It was nice and cool; amazing weather for an August day.  Even exposed to the sun often, things weren't bad.  I went shirtless and at times the breeze even made it chilly.

When we were with Scott, it was a lot of hiking, especially early.  I was only heading northbound from the road today.  Early on, it was rocky and tough to run up.  I found myself soon hiking.  I had hoped to be running most of this short one.

Instead, it was a mix of running and hiking.  I only had soup for lunch, so I was low on calories.  I ran where I could and hiked the other parts.  My concentration wasn't there.

A little over a mile out, I hit the cool cliffs that we got to last time.  They have great views, but I still couldn't locate New York City.  It was pretty clear out too.

After the cliffs, it was thick bush lined singletrack.  I tried not to rub up against this too much, as I didn't put bug spray on.  I also wasn't covered on top.  I saw a guy hiking the other direction in this area.

The rocks were way worse than I recalled.  Maybe because we were mostly hiking that day.  I couldn't run often today.  I continued on past these views because I thought there were more views.  There weren't really any significant ones.

I knew there was a fire tower at some point.  Sure enough, I came out to the Catfish Fire Tower at around 2.5 miles.  I wanted to hike up it, but it said "No Trespassing."  There was a slight view in this area, but really not much of one.

I would've turned around here.  However, from the fire tower, it was a woods road for a bit.  I ran along it.  It was nice to be able to run.  The AT then turned off of that after some time.  I followed it for a little, but it started to descend.  At 2.85 miles, I turned and headed back.

I ran some of the woods road.  I felt a little better on the way back now.  I forced myself to run more.  Still, it only happened in stretches.  The rocks were getting to me and I wasn't feeling great.  Any running I could do would get me done quicker though.

I had been looking for rattlesnakes on this rocks.  I was cautious.  Luckily, I never found one.  I ran along slowly where I could.  It was good to click off the miles and get back to the open ledge with the view.

The last half mile or so was mostly downhill.  I ran it, but it was quite technical, so I was cautious.  I got back to the car and finished up the run with a little over 5.5 miles.

I wish I would've run more, but it was a solid day.  I need to run this section when I'm feeling sharper.  Today wasn't the day for technical running.  Tomorrow, I'll likely run again, but not sure where, when or how far.

 5.6 miles - 1:33:17 (16:39 pace) 655 feet of elevation gain

Post Storm Merrill Creek Run

This weekend was disappointing.  Not only did I cut Saturday's run way short, but I didn't even run at all Sunday.  I felt weak and not recovered from Saturday.  What I hoped to be a big weekend turned into a dud.  I decided not to run yesterday either, as some rain came through.

I finally got back out there today.  We had wicked thunderstorms today too though.  It was cloudy, but looked like it would clear up after dinner.  I headed into Jersey to run at Merrill Creek.  I wanted an easy run and haven't been there in awhile.

It was somewhat comfortable out, when I started at 6 PM.  I went with a singlet instead of no shirt.  I was drenched by the end.  I should've just went shirtless.

Normally, I park in the main lot.  This time, I decided that I would park in the back lot between two of the dams.  I thought starting at a different spot could make the run more interesting.  I also decided to run the loop counterclockwise, rather than clockwise.

There was a mother and son fishing when I pulled into the lot, but no one else.  Not a single boat or kayak was on the water.  I mostly had the place to myself.

The run began with a short section over the dam.  Then, it was into the woods.  The rocks were slippery and it was quite muddy.  I don't know why I didn't think it would be as muddy as it was.  It did rain a lot.

The trail is pretty wide in the beginning.  After about a mile though, it narrows and becomes a little tricky.  It is still pretty nontechnical and fun.  I cruised along.  I ate not long before the run and didn't quite feel great early on.  My legs weren't strong either and I felt like I was working more than I should be.

I did enjoy the singletrack though.  I got to the second dam in no time.  I usually run on top of the dams.  This time, I decided to follow the trail down along the bottom and back up.  This was a bit of a mistake.  It was pretty narrow and steep going down.  I was slipping a little and eventually had to walk.

Then, there was the climb back up.  That seemed to take forever.  It was about 300 feet up.  I had be running a sub 10 minute per mile pace up to that point, but this hike up killed my pace.  I thought maybe I never went down this dam, but it is indeed the steepest one and I've gone to the bottom once before.

I don't like the stone path much, but it was better to be on that then the slippery singletrack around the dam.  I came across some dog walkers after popping out of the woods.  When I got to the 3rd dam, I decided to run over top of it.  This one wasn't as steep if would've taken the bottom.

I saw another person walking as I hit main parking lot.  I was over 3.5 miles now and doing okay.  It did seem like the trail kept going up for some reason.  I was just so sluggish.

I continued to follow the perimeter trail.  I was excited because I now knew that it was mostly singletrack to the finish.  At one point, I lost the trail markings, as it only showed green.  I went left and was over a rocky section that I recalled.  I knew I was on the right track.

I headed along some grass and seemed like I was still going uphill.  I then saw some deer.  It was neat, as it was a mother and two babies.  The babies ran away first.  Then, the mother watched me before taking off.

I was enjoying some downhill singletrack now.  It was quite rocky, so I had to be careful.  The rocks were quite slippery and I did slide every now and then.  I looked forward to getting to the foot bridge.  After some downhill, I was there.

Following that was a ridge section with some roots.  I had to be careful.  Roots can be even more slippery than rocks.  I slid at least once.

I was cruising through here.  I knew I'd push a bit once I got out of the technical section.  I saw the dam, but seemed like it took awhile to get there.  Finally, I was out in the clear.

There is a fourth dam and then an open field type section.  I picked up the pace over that.  I wanted to finish the loop under and hour and I knew I would.  I almost got my pace under 10 minutes per mile, as I finished up.  I was happy to be done.

I'll probably sneak in another short run tomorrow.  I'm going to Musikfest in the evening, so I can't go too far.  I have no idea where I'll go.  Maybe I'll head near there, to South Mountain (Lehigh).  I won't be running too much the rest of this week or this weekend, but I will try to get some stuff done.

5.71 miles - 57:29 (10:04 pace) 558 feet of elevation gain

Failed Long Run

I haven't been feeling great lately.  I have a cough that is a pain, although mostly at night.  Therefore, I've rested most of the week.  I wanted to put together a big weekend though.  The plan was for back to back 30 mile runs.

I was going to meet someone at Watchung, but wasn't up for it.  I ended up cramping on my left calf while I was sleeping.  I decided to just head to Jacobsburg, but I didn't get started until almost noon.

The weather wasn't bad.  I was sweating a bit, but it was a nice summer day.  I could surely take it any time.  Of course, it is still summer.

I cruised along nice and easy at the start.  My watch lost signal for a bit, but it didn't seem off by much, if at all.  I was doing the normal loop.  It was crowded along the creek, but after that, I was on my own.

I ran the gradual uphill and then across the road.  My calves were already sore.  I was definitely dehydrated overnight and paying for it now.  I knew it would be difficult to run with this issue.  I was hoping it wouldn't cause me problems until later though.

Some guy was cutting a log on the trail.  I like jumping over those.  There aren't many obstacles here anyway.  Shortly after that, I saw an older couple trail running.  I usually don't see many trail runners here.

I crossed the three roads and headed to the Sober's Run loop.  I was worried about going through here on a weekend, because of all the horses.  I was correct, as two came right out of the powerline.  They went uphill fast, as I was conservative and hiking up the powerline.

I knew I'd catch them though.  Not only did I have to catch and pass them, but there were four more horses in the area too.  Two were coming the same direction as me, and two were going the other direction.  Both they and I had to be careful, but I got around them.

I cruised downhill, feeling a little better, but still not great.  This loop was going by quickly though.  I saw another horse, but luckily, it turned.  I finished up the loop at right around an hour.  That was solid.

I was refilling my water bottle.  Two guys ran by without shirts.  I was surprised to see one of them was local IndyCar driver Marco Andretti.  That was fun to see and I was distracted thinking about that later on.  I thought maybe I'd encounter them again, but I didn't.

I headed out for loop #2.  This started out as more of the same.  I wasn't feeling all that strong.  I hoped that perhaps I just needed more calories and I'd get stronger.  That didn't happen though.  I was happy to get to mile 8. 

I saw a couple of the horses again on the singletrack.  My calves were continuing to really bother me.  I had on shorter socks too and started to notice a blister forming.  Getting to mile 10 was a big relief.

Again, I hiked the powerline to be conservative.  I enjoyed the downhill some more, but the soreness would not leave.  I kept plugging away, because I often feel like crap this early and can bounce back.

When I got to the end of the loop, I decided to go uphill, around the new building.  That would force me to hike and hopefully rest and recover more.  I was really dragging though, as I approached the half marathon distance.

I ran along the fun ledge singletrack.  Then, it was downhill and across the creek.  I began to realize that I was going to have to cut this run short.  I just felt like complete crap.  I did a short out and back up a gradual hill.

I got to mile 14.  By now, I decided that mile 15 was enough.  I could push on more, but it would've got ugly.  I figured the more that I beat myself up today, the worse I'd feel on Sunday. 

I ran around the parking lot.  I did another short out and back.  I was now over 15 miles and done with the run.  I was hugely disappointed, but sometimes you have days like this.

I obviously had calf issues.  I think all the small stone they put down all over the park bothers me too.  My legs can't take a lot of running here.  It's not true nature trail.  I need more stone laced singletrack.  So much of it is runnable too, which makes it tough.

I'm supposed to be back there again tomorrow.  People are meeting at 7 AM.  They are doing around 10 miles.  I'm really hoping I can hit 30 this time.  It may be a big struggle, but I'll get there.  I'd be much happier if I can bounce back with 30 tomorrow and then maybe do 15 more on Monday.  We will see what's in the cards.

It is funny to think about 15 miles and almost 3 hours of running as a failure.  I guess that I've come that far that I expect more.  I need to be able to handle a lot if I'm going to tackle the West Virginia Trilogy in the fall.  This should be good prep work.

15.02 miles - 2:38:35 (10:33 pace) 921 feet of elevation gain

J-burg Recovery 15

I wanted to do back to back long runs this weekend to prep for the West Virginia Trilogy.  However, my post On the Rocks chafing was quite bad.  I took the next day off.

I had to get out there for a decent run today.  I decided to go to Jacobsburg in the afternoon.  Then, I could get in faster miles.  I wanted to do 15 miles.

It was hot as usual, but I guess I'm finally adapting.  I was drenched by the end of course, but the temperature didn't bother me.  Of course, I ran shirtless.

I took it easy at the beginning.  It was nice and cool along the creek.  Many families were out and it was crowded.  It didn't take long until I made the turn and headed slightly uphill.  Then, I'd rarely see another soul.

The first mile was 10 minutes flat, every other mile was under that, except for my long stop.  I saw a groundhog across the trail, but it ran off.  Some trucks were clearing brush from below the powerlines.  That was annoying.

I just tried to run steady.  The legs weren't bad.  They were a little better than I expected.  Still, they didn't come around during this loop and I had to battle.  The moderate hills were a little slow.  Big hills would've certainly been a challenge.

I crossed the three roads.  I was a little concerned because the bottom of my foot was bothering me.  I started thinking about quitting after a loop.  I figured I'd wait to see if it got better.

I slowly grind my way up the powerline.  Again, I was just trying to be solid and steady.  I knew coming downhill would be great.  It certainly was, and it felt easier and gave my legs a break.

In no time, the loop was over.  I was back at my car.  I refilled my water bottle and headed back out for a second loop.  A family saw me early on and realized I was on my second loop.  At times, I startled hikers when I yelled from behind.  They are never paying attention.

I took another turn and did the solid, gradual climb.  A dog was in front of its owners and jumped out of the woods and scared me.  I continued on a consistent pace.  I got halfway through the run and was feeling okay, but not great.

I tried to focus on each mile.  The slight climbs were getting a little harder.  I knew just getting over the powerline climb would be huge.  I was slow and steady up that, but got it done.

Now, it was downhill and flat to finish out the loop.  However, I had been running without stopping much.  The legs were starting to tire and the feet were getting sore.  I battled through it though.

I saw a few trail runners on this loop.  I later saw Gary running along the road.  It was great to get done with the second loop.  I threw my handheld in the car.  I had some short distance to add.

I was around 12.4 miles when I got near the creek.  I wanted to just go out and back for a bit.  I was starting to tire, but battling.  I took the left turn again.  Now, the gradual uphill was tough.

I turned around and coming back downhill was nice.  I also looped around the other parking lot, to add some distance.  I startled a couple again.  Some little girl was pretending to run when I went by.  That was cute.

I wasn't pushing at this point.  I was just trying not to fall off.  That took some effort, but I was successful.  I went past the parking lot and to the new building.  I turned around and finished right by my car.

I had just been hoping to run a sub 10 minute pace.  I was well under that.  It was a good, productive run.  I was a little sore and tired, but not too bad.  I need a couple more big weekends in the future.

Tomorrow, I'll probably take off again.  Then, I'll likely get some elevation on Wednesday.  I want a solid and productive week.

15 miles - 2:20:30 (9:22 pace) 882 feet of elevation gain

2015 On the Rocks 45K Race Report

Normally, I don't run races in the summer.  Now, I'm doing 2 in back to back weeks.  I'm always browsing Ultrasignup.  I saw a 45K, On the Rocks, in York for only 35 bucks.  I couldn't pass it up, so I headed there today.

I checked out the course last night and it didn't seem too bad.  It was certainly harder than I imagined.  It seems like I always see the easier part of the course when I do these recons.

I was being cheap, so I slept in my car at a rest area.  That meant only about 3 hours of sleep.  I certainly wasn't rested for this one.  I was also in a rush, so I only ate a donut for breakfast.  I saw my friends Helene and Dorf and that start.  However, I didn't have too much time to chat, as I was getting everything together up until the last minute.

It was a little hot today, but not too bad.  Originally, I was going to wear a vest and singlet.  Then, I realized that I could just run with a handheld and no shirt.  This course has 3 loops, so after each loop I could refill my Tailwind.  I had prepped bottles beforehand and that worked great.

The race had a small field and I started somewhat near the front.  It has a lot of flat and downhill running at the beginning.  I cruised along pretty well.  I led a couple people.  The women's leader passed me early.

The trail was fairly rocky I guess.  It wasn't by my standards, but it was by normal people's.  I hiked the first big climb.  It was runnable, but no way I was running it on the first loop.  Dorf went by and I was impressed to see him running it.  He had not been training as he had liked, so this was a test for him.

After the climb, there's a bunch more runnable stuff.  After crossing a road, we got to this loop.  I had thought it was a short out and back, but it was actually a big loop.  That made more sense, as early on, I was surprised to not see the leaders. 

I was to the first aid station a little bit later.  After that, was some runnable stuff.  This section did annoy me though.  It was built by mountain bikers, so it kept turning.  It might be fun on a mountain bike, but it was frustrating to be running.

After that, there was a long, rocky climb.  This would be the end of the loop.  Then, it was on to the part I knew.  There was more runnable curves, with some sun exposure.

On a smooth road type section, Dorf waited for me to make sure we were going the right way.  We indeed were.  We ran together to the second aid station.  Mentally, this section went by quickly, as company was great.  Throughout the day though, the section between the first and second aid stations seemed to take forever and it was a grind.

I didn't realize there were people right behind us as we pulled into the aid station.  We came out together and there was about 5 of us, including the second place woman.  The trail went steeply downhill on some technical terrain.  Then, it climbed up for what seemed like forever.  I wanted to stay in contact for awhile, so I ran a bit more of the ascent than I normally would've.  I ran on the flatter parts of the switchbacks.

The course hit another flat section and then was uphill again after that, before finishing the loop.  The loop seemed a bit long.  One of the guys was refilling with Tailwind.  I fell behind the group, except for Dorf and I wouldn't see most of them again.

I got ahead of Dorf on the downhill part, but again he caught me on the uphill.  I thought he might pull away this time, but he was still in my sight at the top.  Eventually, I caught him at the aid station and that was a big boost.  He seemed to spend more time at the aid stations.

During this part of the loop, it was difficult to tell who was in what race.  Some speedy 15K people blew by us.  I actually felt like crap around mile 12, but I had ate a GU.  That combined with Dorf struggling more than me, gave me a boost.

I pulled away from Dorf at the aid station and never did see him again.  I was cruising along, feeling better on the flat part.  Then, I trip over the only root or rock nearby.  I took a hard fall and was covered in dirt.  I was scraped on my side and back too.

I got up quickly and things didn't hurt too bad.  I ran the frustrating parts with a couple other guys.  I was happy to get back through the loop and on to the more runnable stuff.  While I didn't feel great, I wasn't terrible either.  I forced myself to keep running.  I couldn't wait to get to the aid station again.  I pulled away from the one guy before that.  I stopped and took a bunch of stuff.  I was drinking a lot and grabbing a snack every now and then.

I knew this downhill and then uphill would be tough.  I couldn't believe I wasn't even done with the 2nd of 3 loops.  Then, another slightly deflating thing happened.  I let someone pass and it was Helene.  I didn't mind her catching me, but not this early.  I just battled on though.

I got back to the start and refilled my bottle again.  Somewhere on the flat part, I lost my Buff.  I found it after the race.  I cruised on the downhill.  Now, I was all alone and wondering if I'd ever see anyone again during the race.

After the road and around the start of the loop, a guy passed me.  He didn't pull away though.  I wasn't feeling all that great around mile 20 at this point.  I ended up catching him at the aid station.  We ran together for a mile or two.  His name was Jake and he was a huge boost during these tough miles.  I ran probably more than I would've.

I flew ahead of him on the technical downhill, but he caught me coming up.  Then, we got to the flat part and I just took off.  I still had something left and took a GU earlier.  I was happy to be through the crappy part and on some runnable stuff.

Even some of the curves at the top didn't bother me.  I simply pushed through.  I never saw Jake again until the finish.  Much to my surprise, I caught the female that I had run with earlier.  She was walking and struggling.  I told her to force herself to run more.

I blew past her and was just flying.  I knew it was basically all runnable to the final aid station.  I pushed and pushed and eventually got there.  I was thrilled to make it to that point.  I fueled up a little, but didn't waste too much time.

I cruised on the descent.  My concentration was still good, so the rocks weren't an issue at all.  My feet were slightly sore, but actually I wasn't too bad.  Amazingly, I wasn't that close to cramping either.

I felt pretty awesome, all things considered.  The only issue was the brutal climbing left.  I ran as much of it as I could, but I had to hike a lot.  It was enough to slow me down, so that I couldn't finish under 6 hours.  I pushed on all alone now.

I ran through the finish and was thrilled to be done.  Helene had only finished a few minutes before and the young lady finished a few minutes after.  Physically, this is close to the best I've felt after an ultra.  I feel like I fueled pretty well and got a lot of things right.  I still felt off a little, but it was a tough course and a hot day.

My body was a bit cut up.  The biggest issue I currently have is that I'm really chafed.  My thighs are quite sore.  I wanted to do another longer run tomorrow, but likely won't be able to now.  Maybe I'll run longer on Monday.

Unofficially 27.9 miles - 6:04:09 (13:01 pace) 3831 feet of elevation gain