Northern End of the Mason-Dixon Trail

I like to combine runs and trips whenever possible.  Today, I was headed out to a dirt track race in Central PA.  I looked at routes and saw that the Mason-Dixon Trail cuts through the area I was driving.  It sounded like a lot of rugged fun.  I think this part is where Destrie’s 100K on the trail ends in a month.

I want to go to this park with a great view to start.  However, I never could find it.  I did find the blue blazes along the roads near the Susquehanna River though.  I drove down to a boat launch area and the trail continued on pavement.  I walked briefly and scope it out and saw that it went to trail in a short distance.

The weather was much cooler than it has been.  It was nearly perfect for a run.  I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  I had on my visor too.  It was so comfortable that I was able to run for over an hour and a half without any water.

I ran down the paved road for a bit.  I passed a woman and a dog.  I think she was hiking with a baby too.  I got on the trail and it was nice and fun.  It was flat and along a small creek.  I followed this and then lost the trail.  It looked like it might continue across the water, but I couldn’t tell.  The woman was still behind me, so I thought I was going the right way.

I crossed the creek at a fairly deep spot.  The water went high up on my knees.  I then found the trail on the other side.  The only issue was a no longer had any blazes.  It was either a poorly marked trail or I missed a turn.  This still looked like a decent sized trail along the creek, so I continued on it.  I crossed the creek again later and continued on.  After this creek crossing, the trail did end.  I had to back track.

This did make for a nice warmup.  I kept looking for the trail’s turn as I headed back.  Finally, I realized it was at a log.  There was no blaze on the log to indicate a turn.  It ascended steeply now on a switchback.

This section was absolutely crazy.  It was maybe the rockiest section of trail I’ve been on.  I’ve never been on the Escarpment Trail, but I’d imagine it is like that.  I was slowly climbing over these huge, sharp rocks.  At times, I noticed the trail went around the rocks.  However, it was usually on steep ridge and I kept losing it.  I picked my way through this section, which was only probably about 1/3 of a mile.  It took so long though.

I was glad to be through that section.  For some time, I was wondering if the whole trail was like that.  Luckily, once I was at the top, it wasn’t.  It turned into a smooth singletrack along the ridge.  There were some moderate ups and downs, but it was a lot of fun.  There were views of the river through the trees.

I continued along, moving at a decent clip.  I figured that I’d run until around mile 3.  I hoped to find a nice view at some point.  The trail got quite interesting at certain points.  It was a narrow ridge with a steep drop below.  I had to be cautious.  One part had a steep switchback. 

I was enjoying myself as I ran.  I figured if the trail ever started to drop steeply, I’d turn around.  At one point, it had a decent drop, but I could see it was still high on the ridge.  I kept going.  I was glad I did, as the trail led to a couple rocks and some semi decent river views.  Nothing was totally open, but it wasn’t bad.  I bet there are great views in this section in the winter.  Of course, I wouldn’t want to be on these ridges in the winter.

After one of the views, I saw the trail did start descending.  It was over 3 miles into the run and over an hour into the run, so I turned around.  I had enough for the day.  It was fun running back.  I ran most of the way until the super rocky part.

I was hoping to run a little more of that part.  However, it was still slow and I had to pick my way down.  If this is the end of the 100K, it is a crazy way to end it.  The only good thing was that this section seemed much shorter going down than it did going up.  In no time, I was headed back to the road.

The road part kind of sucked.  However, it did provide an awesome open view of the river.  There were a few people boating.  There were also these cool windmills across the river.  I ran back to the car and finished up at over 5 miles.

I actually found the view area that I was looking for, as I was leaving in my car.  I took a few photos and it was a spectacular view.  It was a good thing I didn’t run from there though, as the trail was all roads.

This was a nice run and it was fun exploring.  It isn’t too far away, so I might have to go there more often.  The Mason-Dixon Trail is kind of a good halfway point between Destrie and me, so it might be a good place for us to meet for long runs in the future.

I got home late and am quite tired.  I’ll see about running tomorrow.  I’ll definitely do something.  It might just be riding the bike.  It depends how the day goes.

5.25 miles - 1:35:12 (18:08 pace) 1129 feet of elevation gain

Humid Tammany Loop

I didn't run yesterday.  Instead, I headed to Mt. Tammany this afternoon.  I had an interview near there, so I figured I might as well run the loop.

It was super hot and humid yet again.  It got into the mid 80s.  I definitely struggled some, but it did help that I dressed better.  I wore just a singlet and short shorts.  I ran with a handheld, rather than a vest.  That helped a lot.

I knew I wouldn't be able to run much with the heat and humidity.  I figured that I would just take it easy going up and then run most of the way down.  I ran the easy early part.  I was going to run the bottom of the first rocky section.  However, I tripped on basically the first rock.  I fell and scraped my knee a little.  What a way to start.  At least I fell uphill.

At this point, it was time to hike.  I just hiked all of this rocky section.  I tried to hike fast at least.  I encountered a few hikers on this early part and the parking lot was crowded.  However, this loop wasn't as crowded as I was anticipating.

When it flattened out, I ran for a bit.  I ran until a little past the first overlook.  It was getting a little steep after that and just too hot for me.  I didn't want to have my breathing too labored.  I hiked some more.

I ran again when it flattened out, until the rockiest section.  This part had me very worried.  I haven't run here very often when rattlesnakes could be out.  I was so careful with every step.  On the rockiest parts, that wasn't easy.  I was so focused and scanning the trail.

Since I was looking for rattlesnakes, I didn't notice the heat quite as much.  Certainly the shade was helping too.  It was much more green than it had been in some time.  I did miss the green for sure.

I had to hike most of the rest of the way to the top.  My back started to hurt, as I was almost there.  I was sweating a lot too.  I ran a little before the top.  I then took my usual photo from the summit.

It was now time to run.  I was on the Blue Trail.  That is super rocky and I was a little beat.  I ran most of it, but did hike here and there.  I was twisting my ankles at times.

Finally, I was on to the downhill.  I had to be careful on some of the very steep and rocky stuff.  I ran most of it, but very slow.  I did open it up where I could.  I was very focused on the trail, still looking for rattlesnakes.

I ran behind some teenagers that were hiking.  They must have thought I was crazy.  I always love flying down technical stuff while others are cautious just hiking.  I ran by some other people later.  I told them I was having fun now that I was running downhill.

Eventually, I was to the bottom.  I was a bit slower than I would've liked, but not too bad.  I got on the AT and headed to the parking lot.  There were a lot of hikers there and I had to go around them.  I got back to my car in over 56 minutes.

I wanted to get 4 miles in.  Therefore, I headed back up the AT briefly.  I ran until I hit the 1 hour mark.  That was at 3.82 miles.  I had some elevation gain too.  I then ran downhill to the car to finish.  It was a solid and productive run.

My foot didn't hurt during the run.  However, it did hurt a little afterward.  I have to be careful to watch how much I run.  I rode my bike in the evening and might ride again tomorrow.  I'm busy this week, so not sure when I'll run again.  I guess it could be tomorrow, but if not, probably not until Thursday.

4.15 miles - 1:03:21 (15:15 pace) 1297 feet of elevation gain
14th Mt. Tammany Summit of the year

Very Muggy Trexler Run

I wanted to get out and test the foot this weekend.  I needed to stay close, since we were headed to a Mother's Day dinner.  Therefore, I headed to Trexler.  We are doing a 10 hour event there next month, so this was a good recon too.

It was cloudy, so I was hoping things wouldn't be too bad.  I was very wrong.  It was only 75 degrees, but felt insanely humid.  I'm so bad with heat and humidity.  I was almost wondering if I could even finish the 8.5 mile loop.

I was thrown off in the beginning.  Almost immediately, they rerouted the Border Trail.  It now went around the side, through some grass, rather than straight down and back up.  With the potential for ticks, there is no way we can follow this during the race and there was no way I was going to run it today either.

I was trying to take it easy.  I'd walk the tougher hills and even take a bunch of photos.  I thought that would help in the humidity, but it didn't.  I was soaked almost from the start.  I'm sure having a regular short sleeve shirt on and my UD vest on didn't help either.

I stopped at the bison pen and took a photo.  Many cars were there too, as the bison were out near the road.  I never get tired of seeing them.  I cruised along.

I passed two women who were hiking on the road.  I then went over the rocky section and started the gradual climb.  I could run it, but decided to hike a lot.  The dogs weren't barking, so I was happy about that.  I saw a guy hiking down.  I'd see him later in the loop too.

Every now and then, there was breeze at the top of the hills.  However, I was still dieing.  I ran along a bit, but hiked a lot too.  I hiked much more than I would've in normal conditions.

I thought hiking would save me on the super steep hill.  It didn't though.  I was still breathing very heavy.  I couldn't get my breathing under control in the thick air.  I wasn't even halfway done with the run and I already felt like death.

The creek crossing was nice and shallow.  I probably should've jumped into it to cool off.  It was good to be heading back toward the zoo, even though I was struggling.

A few years ago, I'd often cut across at the zoo in the summer.  It was always hot and I was often struggling like today.  However, from experience, I know how much easier the remainder of the run is.

Still, easy was all relative today.  The humidity was zapping out of me everything that I had.  I even started hiking flat sections from time to time too.  At least I knew I could hike.  I had been using Tailwind and maybe wasn't fueled enough early on.  Whatever the case, I sure never recovered.

Mentally, getting to mile 6 was huge.  I pressed on.  I saw a deer around there.  It ran off.  I ran where I could, but I could only keep running for short stretches, no matter how easy the terrain was.

I saw three hikers with about 1.5 miles to go.  One guy had a NJ Trail Series shirt on.  I wondered what race he did, but I didn't have the energy to ask.

I knew I'd being hiking this last long hill.  Even that was a challenge.  I saw an earlier hiker again on this part of the trail.  I ran some of the jeep road by KidsPeace.  I saw a couple young girls walking from that way.  I'm guessing that they were from there.

It was good to be nearly done, even though I felt so bad.  I was now out of water too.  I sputtered along.  I ran some of the rolling hills before the road crossing, but not much.

I ran across the road.  I knew I'd be hiking the last steep uphill.  I did and was thrilled to be nearly done.  Then, I got another curveball.  Again, the trail went off into the grass.  I stuck with the old

trail, but did finally follow the cut through to the parking lot.  I had stopped my watch a little early.

I guess I have to wear much less clothing to run now.  I'll need to run short segments and carry a handheld, rather than the pack.  This is the worst time of the year for me.  I struggle more than anyone else.  I can't even go slow and run okay.  The humidity and heat simply destroy me.  At least my foot didn't bother me during the run, even though it is a little sore now.

I was planning a run in Upstate NY tomorrow.  I look forward to going there and exploring more.  I'm not sure if I want to deal with the weather any more.  I'm definitely going to be biking more and running less in the summer.  I miss winter already.

8.8 miles - 1:44:57 (11:55 pace) 1310 feet of elevation gain

Speeding Up

I've biked a few times since Bear Mountain, but for the most part, I've rested.  I didn't run, as I'm trying to heal up.  Nothing really hurts, but my feet bother me slightly.  I decided to give running a try tonight.

It was unseasonably warm, even in the evening.  It was still over 80 degrees.  I wore a sleeveless shirt for the first time.  I had on my visor, but that became too hot.  I wore my old shoes to be safe.

The plan was for just a short run at South Mountain (Lehigh).  I haven't been there in the evening since it was dark and snowy.  I looked forward to a nice evening run, even if it was on the hot side.  At least the leaves are coming in nicely and I knew there would be shade.

I figured I would run the typical loop and if I felt good, keep going around the other side of the mountain to run another mile or so.  I do like that this run starts at the top of the mountain and I can run downhill to begin with.

Normally, I run almost all of my runs nice and easy and try to be consistent.  I've decided that I need to mix things up.  Therefore, I pushed a little bit on the early downhill.  This part is fun and fast and semi technical.  I twisted an ankle once, but overall, I just flew downhill.

Going hard was fun, but it had me breathing heavy.  I turned about halfway down the hill, to cross the road.  Some of the pink ribbons I put up last year are there still, but not all of them.  For others, this route might be a little hard to follow.  However, I know it by heart.

I crossed the road at a decent pace and ran along the fun, flat singletrack.  Then, I got to the first ascent.  It is short and semi steep.  If I'm not going hard, I can run up it.  However, I was pushing earlier and breathing heavy, so I had to hike.  That slowed my first mile to 9:38

I hiked most of the hill and then ran again when it flattened out.  I tried to run up the next gradual climb, but my breathing just continued to labor.  I hiked rather than forcing myself to run.  By now, my strategy was to take it easy when I couldn't run, but to run hard on the flats and downhills.

At the top, I picked my effort up again and started breathing heavy again.  I was flying, pushing hard, but also having fun.  I only ate 1 hour and 30 minutes before the run.  My stomach had not settled.  I ended up burping up some of my food.  At least I didn't throw up though.  Mile 2 was a 10:00.

Next, it was on to the most technical part of the course.  It was fun, because I was blasting downhill and making good time for the most part.  I saw my first deer of the run here.  I saw 6 total throughout the run.  A few of the rocks hurt my feet, but overall, it wasn't bad.

I was really tiring though.  I'm not used to this weather yet and I pushed too hard in the first two miles.  I had to hike some slight uphills now.  I ran a lot of this mile though, especially when I got on to the road to the overlook.  Mile 3 was a 9:15.

I then climbed the short climb, before running some flats for a bit.  That didn't last though, as I came to a gradual uphill.  Again, this section is very runnable, if you are cautious.  I had burned myself out badly though.  I did run a little of the ascent, but not much of it.  It was mostly a hike.

I ran some of the rocky part near the top, by the road.  Mile 4 was a much slower, 11:28.  I had hoped to run a sub 10 minute pace per mile, but this mile just slowed me too much and I was simply too tired.

I ran the flat part of the road.   I ran some of the uphill paved steps between the road, but not much of it.  I was exhausted and wanted to be done.  Finally, I ran on in on the flat part and finished at just over 4.5 miles.

Most importantly, I didn't have any foot issues.  I was happy that I went out and tested myself.  Even if I pushed too far in the early heat, it was fun.  I need to mix up my training for sure and get out of my comfort zone.

Tomorrow, I'll probably ride again.  I haven't ruled out running, but I don't think I'll be doing that.  I do need to break in my new shoes a little and work on getting used to zero drop.  Most likely, I won't run again until Saturday.  I have no idea where that would be yet, but I would like to get in double digit miles.

4.51 miles - 45:56 (10:11 pace) 666 feet of elevation gain

2015 TNF Bear Mountain 50 Mile Race Report (First DNF)

I’ve talked to some ultra friends who are scared of the dreaded DNF.  Me, on the other hand, I knew eventually it would be coming and I’d welcome it as a learning experience.  Today, turned out to be that day at TNF Bear Mountain 50 miler in Upstate New York.  After 8 successful ultras, it was my first DNF.

I have been playing with fire all spring.  I signed up for 4 ultras over a 2 months period.  To make matters worse, the Naked Bavarian 40 Mile, which was supposed to start it all, got pushed back 3 weeks.  That left me with the difficult task of running 4 ultras in 7 weeks and trying to log a total of 152 miles over those races.  Today, it all caught up to me.

 

I came into this race with some issues.  The HAT 50K was the first of the ultras.  I ran in my Altra Lone Peaks then, for the first time over a long distance.  With all the snow we had all winter, I didn’t get to break them in much.  After 31 miles of mud, I survived, but the top of my left foot began to bother me.

Things were fine during the Naked Bavarian.  Again, I wore the Lone Peaks.  I had some hot spots early on because the shoes were too loose.  I tied them tighter during the race.  I had no issue while racing, but for the following weeks, the top of my foot hurt a lot.  This was so much the case that I wasn’t sure if I could even start the Hyner 50K.

For Hyner, I switched to my old trusty Salomons.  They don’t do well on technical terrain, but they would have to do.  My foot hurt during the race, but I survived. In the 2 weeks between Hyner and Bear Mountain, I rested more of the foot felt great.  

I knew I couldn’t run in the Lone Peaks or the Salomons for Bear Mountain.  This was a super technical course, so I took some suggestions from friends and bought the New Balance MT00v2.0 shoes.  In my test runs coming into the race, they didn’t seem to do well for me on technical runs, like the one last week at Bear Mountain.  Therefore, I decided to take a chance and hope that the Altras would work with some KT Tape on my foot.  I knew it was a gamble, but I wasn’t left with many good choices.

We arrived at Harriman State Park, about 20 minutes from the starting area, and setup our camper on Friday evening.  My dad was along to camp and crew for me.  I especially needed him for this one, as I was unsure of my shoe selection.

One of my other big concerns heading into the race was the start time.  In order for everyone to make the cutoff before dark, the race started in the morning darkness at 5 AM.  I’m usually up until 1 or 2 AM, so I knew sleeping would be tough.  Sure enough, it was.  I went to bed at 9 PM, but probably didn’t fall asleep until about 1 AM.  I didn’t sleep solidly after that either and was up at 3 AM to get ready.

I was in a rush getting all my stuff together before the race.  Luckily, we were able to park in the starting area before they started charging.  This gave me a lot of time to get ready for the race and took away some of my stress.  I saw Pat and Jonas at the registration table.  It was good to see a couple local people.

I stood around the fires right before the start.  It was cold and dark.  We had to begin with headlamps.  I don’t wear mine often, but I figured I could deal with it for an hour.  The race started in 4 waves.  I could hear the announcer and I thought that he said if you had a number in the 100s, you were in wave 1.  I started there, but in the back.

We were off at 5 AM.  The race starts on some pavement and then goes to some wide trail.  It was a bit rocky and muddy and we had some climbs.  Apparently this section was very muddy last year.  I cruised along making good time.

A lot of this early section was back on to pavement.  It was very runnable.  I tucked in with a few runners and was going solid.  The thing that made it tough was that it seemed to be a gradual uphill.  I ran most of it.

Things got a bit more technical as we went toward the aid station (Anthony Wayne).  There were some photographers taking cool photos in the woods.  I wish more ultras had that.  One issue I had at this point was the humidity.  It was cold, but humid before the sun came up.  I was sweating like crazy.  I don’t know how people had long sleeves and jackets on, even well into the morning.

The other issue was my energy level.  It was probably the combination of poor nutrition and lack of sleep.  I had not run anywhere and yet I felt like I already had done over 20 miles.  This would be tough to dig out of.

This first leg was quite fast.  I came through 4 miles around 45 minutes.  I wasn’t running too uncomfortable, but it definitely was faster than I would’ve run.  Apparently, I should’ve actually been in wave 3, instead of wave 1.  Oh well, lesson learned.

I saw my dad, gave him my headlamp and told him I felt like crap.  I saw Ron and Jo and that was encouraging.  On I went.

After crossing a bridge, it was some climbing and some technical singletrack.  I took it easy when I could and hiked the hills.  Since I was in wave 1, these people were moving quite aggressively and I was passed often.  I stumbled on the technical rocks a few times, but didn’t fall.  I twisted my ankles quite a few times throughout the run.  Some guy commented on my multi colored calf sleeves.

Following the technical part, it was on to a paved road with a gradual incline.  I knew these sections would be annoying to me, but at least they’d be fast and keep me ahead of the cutoffs.  I drank a lot of my highly concentrated Tailwind, but I couldn’t get my energy levels up or wake up.  It was very frustrating.  I was so zapped and it was early.  I figured that I would try to get to mile 19 and drop at that aid station if things didn’t improve.

We went from the road to a very pleasant woods road.  It was quite smooth, fast and runnable.  People in my group were flying and I often was passed.  I tried to run my own race, but it was hard with so much speed around me.

The woods road got more technical and had some up and down, as we went around Silvermine Lake.  My race went from bad to worse, as we approached the Silvermine aid station.  With the now technical trail, my energy low and concentration bad, I was stumbling over a lot of rocks and going slow.  Instead of thinking I might quit at mile 19, I now was thinking that I might quit at this aid station.  In addition to all of that, the bottom of my left foot started to get sore (not the top).

I came into Silvermine, not even 9 miles into the run and already in low point.  There are highs and lows in ultras.  I’ve learned that that happens and I’ve learned how to battle through them.  That is when the lows hit in the middle of the race.  I couldn’t fathom hitting one this early in a race and surviving.

I came into the aid station and told my dad I was thinking of dropping.  He didn’t want me to, but he wasn’t very convincing either.  He later told me that I did already look like hell.  I then went to grab some food and drinks.  I bumped into Wayne there, as he was coming through behind me.  I told him my dilemma and he said, “It’s not that far to the next aid station.  You can even hike it all if you have.”

He was convincing enough.  I decided to grab some more food and drink.  I took my time and switched shoes.  I was now in the New Balance ones.  I went to the bathroom and then headed back out.  It was on to Arden Valley.  That aid station technically didn’t allow crew or spectators, but I told my dad to try to meet me there in case I dropped.

The break turned out to be what I needed.  The upcoming trail conditions were a big boost too.  It was a relatively smooth woods road that was quite runnable.  Some sections were rocky and I was forced to hike, but it wasn’t many.  There were two young ladies that I swapped spots with several times.  They were slow up the uphill parts, but blasted downhill.  Eventually, they got by me for good.

My energy was back up and I was feeling decent (still not great).  Then, it happened.  We got on to the Long Path.  So much for the easy going we had thus far.  I had been surprised at how runnable the course was in the first 10 miles.  I knew there were a lot of technical parts and coming into the race, I hoped a few runnable parts as well.

The Long Path was a beast.  It was a lot like the AT part I ran last week, except without the views.  It was short, steep ascents and descents.  It was quite rocky at times, with some flat rock slabs to run on too.  As another guy correctly put it, you can’t get into any rhythm.  It was a tricky downhill, a short flat and then another uphill over and over again.  I had been thanking Wayne earlier, but now I wanted to curse him.

A lot of us were hiking the very technical parts.  There were some cool rocky parts, including this uphill scramble.  That was about the only part I did well on.  Otherwise, I was running slowly and often I was passed.

We were only on this part for a few miles, but it seemed to take forever.  My watch had lost signals, so I had no idea what mile we were on anyway.  At first, the change of shoes helped and I felt awesome with a much lighter pair.  Now, as we went through what I dubbed “Cragland” (for the rocky glacial remnants), the left foot began to act up again.  It hurt at the bottom.

I continued on.  As I got closer and closer to Arden Valley, the foot got worse.  Eventually, I was simply run limping, even on the flat parts.  At one point, we ran by some people camping on a rock.  Another time, this guy commented that we were at the part where a guy fell on the 2012 race video from Mountain Peak Fitness.  I saw that video many times and had to laugh when it was brought up. 

I didn’t think there could be much that would annoy me more than the way my day was going.  However, two guys behind me were chatting away.  They weren’t talking about anything interesting; instead they were talking about their jobs.  I was trying to enjoy the peaceful woods and I had to hear about that.  At least they passed me after no too long.

As the foot got worse and worse, it became clear that I was going to drop.  This wasn’t the type of pain that wasn’t going to get worse and I could just ignore (like the top of foot pain at Hyner).  I think I might be developing Plantar Fasciitis.

We got to the bottom of a hill and finally things flattened out.  We followed a woods road out of there.  I knew the aid station must be close.  A rescue group was helping out a runner, who was walking.  I ran some on the woods road and then walked too.

I already knew I was dropping out, but of course they had another cruel thing in store for me.  The aid station was at the top of a paved hill.  You had to run up it and then come back down it.  Of course I was walking up it.  Finally, I got there and my dad was there.  I grabbed a couple drinks and some food and told them I was dropping out.

I was disappointed to DNF for the first time.  I was happy that I didn’t quit earlier and that I pushed through until an injury forced me out.  I could’ve run/hiked for a while longer, but there was no point in doing more damage.  I wasn’t going to finish 50 miles on this day.  My body has been calling for rest for weeks, so now it will get some.

I certainly don’t regret my decision and I don’t get too worked up, but it does eat at me a little.  I would like to try another 50 miler now and eventually, I’ll come back to this one.  Maybe I’ll finish the 50K first though.

I had to grab all of my bags.  I saw Wayne going strong near the midway point.  I ran into Melissa from Trail WhippAss at the finish line.  She was done with her 50K and we chatted for a bit.  I got passed by quite a few people from Trail WhippAss during the race, but I simply didn’t have the energy to say anything to them.    

I am never one to fear bad races.  I love to use them as a learning tool.  Unfortunately for me, it is a little more than just the occasional bad race.  Most of my ultras are bad and I simply survive them.  Today, it was too much for me and my body.  I now have most of the summer off and a lot of time to think and evaluate how I can improve.  I’m not that competitive any more, but I just want to have smoother and better races.

About 7 months ago, I began a crazy stretch of trying to do a lot of ultras.  The thought process was that I could get used to them and run stronger.  While my mind has learned how to handle a lot of different conditions, my body clearly has not.  I still often find my legs fatigued much earlier in a race than I think they should be.  That messes with my head, which another area I have to get stronger with.  I have improved some over the last 7 months, but not as much as I’ve expected.

I started to improve my in race fueling and that has helped.  Now, I have to improve my prerace fueling.  Today was the first time that that cost me big.  I also have to get stronger, especially my legs.  I hate lifting weights, but I’m going to have to do that some.  I need to change up my training too.  I need a nice mix of things.  I need challenging climbs and descents, technical running and fast running.  I haven’t run fast much in the last 7 months.  I need to add some time of speedwork and hill repeats.  I’ve gained a lot of weight over the last year and if I can improve my nutrition and drop some of that weight, it will be a big help too.

I learned far more today than I would have if I cruised through this thing.  I’ll be taking most of the summer off from racing, since I hate the heat.  Instead, I’ll put focus back in on my training.  First, I’ll have to heal my foot up though.  

Bear Mountain, you may have won today, but I will get my revenge one day.  Live and learn.

14.2 miles - 3:23:56 (14:22 pace) 3205 feet of elevation gain

First Tammany Spring Run

My plan for the week was to rest the foot some more and maybe run with Destrie.  However, the foot is feeling pretty good.  Today was a nearly perfect day too, so I couldn't resist.  I haven't been to Mt. Tammany yet since the snow has melted, so I decided to get up there for one loop.  It would be another great way to test the new New Balance shoes as well.

It was a great day, as the sun was out and it was in the 60s.  The sun was setting in the evening, when I started.  I did sweat quite a bit, as I tried to run a lot early on.  I had on shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  I was cool on top of the ridge and on the downhill part of the run.

I'm always ambitious when I start running here.  For some weird reason, I think that maybe I'll be able to run a lot of the climb.  Of course I never do and I never learn.  I even tried to take it very slow, but that still didn't help.

I ran the steps in the beginning.  I then ran along the flat part.  I was going slow and doing fairly well on the first steep and rocky section.  However, my breathing started to labor, even going slow.  My legs weren't burning though.  That didn't last, I got up about 250 feet from the start and it just became too much.  I could've pushed a little farther, but it wasn't worth it.

I began to hike.  I probably hiked the second half of that first section.  The problem with running so much and getting out of breath was that I couldn't recover.  When it flattened out, I ran some more, but still was laboring with my breathing.

I continued to move along.  There was still a lot of hiking.  I knew it was a rocky trail of course, but really I forgot just how rocky it actually is.  At least I can hike faster then in the past.

The super rocky section is even tough to hike.  It is so uneven that you have to watch your footing.  Obviously, I've become much better at this too.  I can't wait to keep making progress there.

I was sweating a lot now.  I ran where I could, but still hiked most of the way up.  I smelled weed around 1,000 feet up.  Who would hike that much to smoke a joint?  I never did see the person.  I saw no one on the entire ascent.

I got to the overlook around 27 minutes into the run/hike.  It was good to have that out of the way.  I took a photo of the setting sun.  I didn't stay long, as I was trying to make good time.  I took a few quick photos, but not many.

Now, it was on the Blue Trail.  The ridge is super rocky, but fun.  It is all runnable at least.  I cruised along, looking for the best place to put my feet.  Before I knew it, I was on the turn to the descent.

There were now plenty more rocks.  Rocks, rocks, rocks and rocks.  That was the story of the run.  I did run most of the way down.  It depends on what you consider running I guess.  I was picking my way down slowly.  It was fun though.

I did hike down one gnarly section.  Then, I forced myself to get back to running.  The bottom of my feet were really hurting on the rocks.  I also stubbed my toe at one point.  I won't be able to wear those New Balance shoes this weekend.  Running 50 miles on rocks will just be too much for them.

I came to a family of hikers.  Luckily, I ran into them where the trail had two paths.  I took the other one and went by them.  They were the only people I saw all day.  They must've thought I was crazy running down that crap.

After seeing them, the trail flattened out a bit and got smooth.  I opened it up.  This last part was such a blast.  It went back to rocky and times, but I kept flying.  It was a fun downhill dance.  I had to adjust my stride and pace often and the terrain changed.  It was good downhill practice.  This was much slower than in winter though.

Eventually, I made it to the bottom of the Blue Trail.  I crossed over the waterfall bridge and opened it up.  When I got to the AT and that smooth downhill, I really started flying.  I was having a lot of fun now.  Most of the rocks were gone.

I finished up back at the car.  It was before 52 minutes.  It took me a few minutes less to go from the overlook down as it did to get up there.  It was a decent time and a good run, but I was definitely faster in the winter.

I had a great day out there.  I'm going to have to take a chance and run in the Lone Peaks this weekend.  I don't have much other choice at this point.  If they bother the top of my feet, then so be it.  I can't destroy the bottom of my feet though.

Tomorrow, I may or may not run with Destrie.  I'm considering driving down to Delaware regardless.  Maybe I'll just run there on my own.  I would like to get one more run in before my race.  Maybe I'll even take a chance and wear my Lone Peaks.

3.38 miles - 51:44 (15:17 pace) 1184 feet of elevation gain
13th Summit of Tammany in 2015

Bear Mountain Recon

I feel like I've recovered quite well from Hyner.  I didn't run all week though.  I needed to let my foot heal.  However, I had a shoe dilemma, so I had to run today.

My old shoes worked great at Hyner.  However, there are too many rocks at next week's Bear Mountain race.  I couldn't wear my Altras there though either.  I took some suggestions from friends and bought New Balance MT00v2.0 shoes.  I have New Balance road shoes, so I thought these might work well.  My friends told me they work well on rocky terrain too.

I drove the 2 hours to Upstate New York.  I figured that I might as well test them on part of the course.  I just decided to start at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area.  That would give me a loop that included some of the beginning and end of the course.  I arrived after 1 PM.

It was windy in the parking lot.  I elected for my lightweight long sleeve shirt.  I was worried that I might be hiking a lot and get chilly.  A lot of the run was comfortable to hot, but on the exposed top of the mountain, it was windy and cold.  The shirt often made me hot, but was probably a good choice.

I began running on the parking lot and noticed how lightweight the minimalist shoes were.  They felt comfortable for sure.  I wasn't sure how they would hold up on the rocks though.  I'm doing the 50 miler there next weekend and it supposed to be super rocky.

I started heading the direction that I wanted to.  For some reason, I turned around before some hikers.  I was on a woods road.  I ran the other way and followed the white blazes of the AT.  After some time, this turned into a singletrack.

It didn't take long to figure out how tough this course would be.  There weren't as many rocks as I expected early on, but it was winding singletrack.  It was slow and there was some up and down.  There was some water on the trail and plenty of rocks too.  It was interesting.  This was apparently a historical route from colonial times.

I did enjoy running this part.  It was a fun trail for sure.  After some time, it came out to a woods road.  This was more runnable.  Then, it came to an old paved road.  This was a little broken up.  There were lots of historical markers on it.

I kept looking for the turn on to the red blazed trail.  I tried one turn, but the path wasn't blazed.  I saw a cool, old oak tree.  This road was a lot of uphill and I walked a good amount of it.  Every now and then, I took my map out to make sure I was on the right path.

At one point while I was running, I saw another runner coming downhill.  He had on an Ultimate Direction AK Vest too.  Most people out on this day were hiking.  Shortly after passing him, the trail turned steep and very rocky.  I definitely had to hike up this.

This was still the 1777 Trail.  It was marked every so often.  After quite a bit of climbing, I saw blue blazes.  I guess I was on the Red Trail somehow.  Regardless, it was good to be on the Blue Trail, heading back toward the start.  I was around mile 5 at this point.

At first, I was worried that I might've missed some views by going toward the right.  I was glad to find out I was very wrong.  This part of the trail was amazing.  There were short ups and downs.  There were lots of rocks and plenty of boulders, some the size of cars or trucks, along the trail.  At times, it was even hard to follow the blazes.  Running was slow and I took so many pictures too.  I've been on sections of trail like this for very short periods, but rarely for this long.

After running and hiking for a bit, I came to a view.  A couple guys were eating lunch there.  It was a terrific spot.  It had nearly a 180 degree view.  I could see the mountains and the Hudson River.  I then noticed the skyline of New York City well off in the distance.  It was amazing.

There was a second amazing view.  Then, the trail went downhill.  This was super rocky and technical.  It was hard to run down.  I ran through a valley briefly.  Then, it was climbing again and back on the ridge.

The ridge running was tough and beautiful.  There were tons of views and I stopped for a lot of them.  The rocks were hurting my feet a lot.  There were a lot of flat rocks.  I ran along while I could.

As I got closer and closer to the end of the run, I came across more and more hikers.  I was near the AT.  I then even came to an AT shelter.  It was 3 PM and the shelter and tenting area were already fairly packed.  I guess there are a lot of weekend section hikers.

Some hikers let me go on by.  One older couple said, "You are running this?"  I commented, "Sort of.  It's a lot more hiking."  This was still a slow go, but I ran a lot more.  I had seen enough views and wanted to be done.

I was thankful for some other hikers.  They warmed me of a couple army guys up ahead.  They were pointing their rifle.  I'm assuming they were from West Point, which is nearby.  It was certainly something you don't see on the trail every day.  It might've scared me if I wasn't warned. 

I ran downhill, but slowly.  It was very rocky and tough footing.  I'd be shocked if I could run this type of stuff next week, especially late in the race.  I'll be amazed if I don't fall.

At one point, I completely lost the trail somehow.  Since I was near the parking area, I bushwhacked down the hill.  I there wasn't much brush.  I was able to find the trail that I had started on.

I ran back to my car.  I was under 10 miles of running.  It took me nearly 3 hours.  This was about the pace that I'll need to move at next week to make the cutoffs.  That could be tough.  I did stop a lot during this one.

The good news is that my shoes worked well in terms of the top of my foot issue.  It felt great.  The bad news was that even 10 miles hurt the bottom of my feet.  I will be hurting next week.  I might have to switch shoes partway through.  I may have to take a chance and wear my Altras.  Those definitely seem better on rocks.

This course is going to be tough.  With the cutoff, I'll need to be moving.  I can't afford to hike too much.  I'll probably have to push through and run through pain a lot more than I have in the past.  I always have problems with cramping and my muscles getting a lot of fatigue.  Hopefully, there are some easier sections.  I will take it easy for sure.  I'm just going to try to have fun and see what I can do.  If I DNF, then so be it.

I definitely can't wait for the race.  It will be my biggest challenge yet.  It will be a lot fun and suffering too.  If I can finish in the time limit, I'll be proud.  Some cool weather could be a big help too.  At least there isn't too much elevation on the course.

I probably won't run any more this week.  I could still use a lot of rest.  The bottom of my other foot has been bothering me a bit.  If I do run, maybe I'll head down to Delaware and try to run with Destrie.  Otherwise, it will be no running until the race.

9.66 miles - 2:42:22 (16:49 pace) 1692 feet of elevation gain