I got into town last Sunday and am being graciously hosted by a college friend's family while I am here (3 weeks). Each day I've been up about 7am to run before I go to work. My purpose for being here is service. I am working with a wonderful faith-based community development organization called Lincoln Village Ministy. So far most of my assistance has been in home renovation. I have helped put in floor joist and sub floor. I work with several great guys my age, so that has been fun.
It's more hilly here
One of the first things I noticed when I started my run on Tuesday. It's been interesting mapping out routes around here, but so far I have done alright. Fortunately, there is a strong running community here in town and a 5k/10k route is near by. Much of my run is on similar roads. This week I had 2-3mi runs on T & R, a 6mi on W, and 12mi on Sat. Well, due to route issues T was a little long (first day - I got a little lost), Wed was a mile short, and R was a little short. Saturday's run ended up about 11mi but I will get to that. Overall, I'm a little under 23mi for the week. I wanted to be at 24, so I may run a slow recovery mile tomorrow depending how I feel. I felt good this week. The hills added challenges and slowed my time down some, but I have opened up my legs a couple of times and felt strong. I have a tough climb and substantial downhill on the usual route for T,W,R so I have been getting used to downhill running - It's tough! Gravity is just yanking on me and if I try to run with it I get into a full out run/sprint. Rather than floating I am pounding down even when running on midfoot/ball at speed. I'm sure I'll improve.
Real Trails
I've expressed my desire to get into trail running and eventually trail ultrarunning. Right now I am planning on giving the 50k my first go at Mt. Mist in January here in Huntsville. Monte Sano state park is about 15 mins away and has many trails, so I will be trying to scout out the race and acclimate to trail running while I am here in Rocket City. Today was the first run in the park. All together, I ran nearly 11 mi, all but 1.5mi on trails. I was out for 2hr 20min, including getting drinks, looking at maps, taking a couple wrong turns and other lolly gagging, so I feel good about the 12:44 average pace. I am a little disappointed that I didn't get my planned 12 mi but I was very happy with the run. Let me describe it:
-McKay Hollow Trail (2mi): I should have heeded the double diamond very difficult rating of the trail and maybe checked out a topo before running. About half of those 2 mi would have made a tough hike. The trail was steep, overgrown, and very rocky requiring me to walk quite frequently. It made for a tough start and the hardest section of the day.-Mountain Mist Trail (2.5mi): I jumped on this after connecting via the southern tip of the Southern Plateau Trail. This was my favorite trail of the day, which is good considering a good amount of the race is on it. It is a firmly packed singletrack that is consistent, not too hilly, and clear. I felt good running it.
-Old Bankhead Pkwy (1.5mi): This closed road is great for family excursions and bike riders. I used it to get back to my car before trying out some more trails. It was mostly uphill but not too steep. While the asphalt made for a nice recovery, I missed the trails.
-NorthPlateau Loop (1.5mi): The total loop is about 1.2 mi and is light stuff. It goes through campgrounds and parks and by overlooks - nice for a day stroll. I used part of it as a connector.
-South Plateau Loop (3.5mi): This was a very nice trail. It was clear and wide and rated easy which was good as I was struggling in the final miles.
I ate a couple slices of bread and had some juice before running today. On the trail I ate 2 quaker oatmeal peanut butter chocolate bars. I was hungry! I needed some gels and more solid food. I also could have used a sports drink in addition to more water. In those final miles my entire body was hurtin and I was doin the shuffle back to the car. I even invoked some self motivation: "You got it. Almost there. You're a marathoner. Come on!" Well, it helped. While I didn't manage to get all 12 miles in, I ran the 11 I did strong. It did come at cost I guess because at 4:00 pm I am tired! Completely soaked, I got back, took an ice bath, a shower, and ate some chicken fettucine alfredo. Then I read some and napped. My legs were sore while running and I'm sure they will be tomorrow.
Thanks Brooks
I have to throw this thanks out to Brooks running. After about 40 miles on trails, you can add my name to the postive reviews for the new Cascadia 3s. My feet felt great while everything else was sore. They ballistic rock shield protected my feet from the rocks and roots (no stone bruises or black nails), the sole gripped pretty well, and they stayed tied. No problems whatsoever. I love the MoGo midsole. I think it has liquid silicone or something. Whatever it is, it just feels good. Honestly, I'd rather wear these Cascadias than my road shoes. Maybe I'll make my next road shoes Brooks.
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