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The weather this Spring has been spectacular here in the Mid-Atlantic. The oppressive humidity and the mosquitoes haven't yet arrived and I've spent every possible moment outdoors making the most of it.
Last weekend Hubz and I went hiking in Shenandoah National Park. We chose the Pass Mountain Trail just outside of Sperryville. It's similar to Dickey Ridge Trail (though a bit rockier) with a steady, continuous climb, but without the foot traffic.
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Elevation profiles courtesy of Bill Sublett
Neither climb is as steep as it looks here. |
We hiked up Pass Mountain Trail for three miles where it joins the Appalachian Trail. We trekked north for another three miles, checking out the Pass Mountain Hut shelter and greeting three thru-hikers we encountered.
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| Hubz doing some squats during our hike |
Five hours, 12 miles and one Ruffed Grouse attack later, we made it back to our Honda Element. Not to worry, Hubz escaped unharmed when Mama Grouse found his defensive posture intimidating enough to switch to the broken wing act. And I got a glimpse of the grouse's babies.
We also returned to the Great Allegheny Passage rail trail for a Spring bike ride. After a brief discussion about heading north for a change, our local friends talked us out of it. Disadvantages of heading north: It's not as scenic, there's a dearth of lunch options and the return ride has a slight uphill grade versus a lovely downhill cruise.
The Lucky Dog Cafe is
just 11 miles south of our starting point in Ohiopyle, PA. Our strategy
was to ride 15 1/2 miles, then turn around and stop for lunch at 20
miles.
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| Sign along the GAP trail |
Spring along the GAP trail is incredibly green, lush, wildflowers everywhere. It was a noticeable contrast to the scenery here last Fall.
Our much-anticipated lunch did not disappoint. One more benefit of riding a bicycle vs. running: You can still ride a bicycle after gorging yourself.
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| Grass-Fed Hawaiian burger |
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The Surly LHT at The Lucky Dog Cafe
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| Bike parking aplenty |
I hope your Spring has been as enjoyable as ours has.
What adventures have you been on or what are you planning for this summer? I'm always looking for inspiration.
One of my favorite places to visit is the Laurel Highlands in southwestern Pennsylvania.
I am lucky to have friends who live nearby. I try to make the most of my visits, though it is never an easy choice: Run the Laurel Highlands trail? Kayak the Middle Yough? Bike on the Great Allegheny Passage?
This past weekend Hubz and I chose the GAP trail for a fall bike ride. We were rewarded with falling leaves, a bit of changing foliage and perfect temperatures.
Despite having explored only a few miles of this trail, we are deeply enamored with its scenic beauty, smooth 'packed crushed limestone' surface and easy-as-pie average 1% grade.
We always make a point of stopping to refuel and refresh ourselves at the sun-kissed deck of The Lucky Dog Cafe. There's something for everyone here whether you're vegetarian, Paleo or just want a cold beer. They even have grass-fed burgers!
We had a wonderful day on our bicycles, and rode just shy of 40 miles.
One day I'd like to complete the entire route, either in sections or on a multi-day trip.
Rumor has it my friend Lisa is riding the GAP and the C&O for a total of 334.5 miles. I am envious of her adventure!
Once Upon A Time, a girl with pigtails ran the Laurel Highlands 70 Miler (in 2006). She was met with wonderful cool weather and helpful spirits and she completed her journey with aplomb.
She ventured forth again in 2008, but the Evil Rains came and she failed. She knew she couldn't let Evil triumph, so she returned once more to fight the good battle. This is her race report. It's a modern day fairy tale!
Self-Doubt. I don't think I've ever had more anxiety about a race. I was filled with doubts. I didn't believe I had the mental toughness to push through when things got difficult. I didn't want it badly enough.
Problems. I had good reason to feel pessimistic. Since changing my diet to Whole30/Paleo, I'd only had a SINGLE successful long run. The fuel I'd been trying and tweaking only got me so far in each race. The taper was upon me and I'd run out of time to test any other methods. I would be trying an entirely new fueling system in the longest race I'd done in seven years. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
Betrayal. My beloved Vasque Transistor FS, the shoes I've worn during all my long trail runs for the past three years, were causing me ankle pain even on short runs. I'd have to rely on my Asics road running shoes and my seldom-worn (and never tested on trail) Brooks Pure Cadence for most of the 70 miles.
Experimenting with Potions. I had decided to try
Vespa Junior for my fueling strategy. The ingredients read a bit like a recipe for witch's potion:
- Filtered water
- Orange juice
- Honey
- Royal jelly
- Bee propolis
- Wasp extract
- Eye of Newt (ok, kidding on this one)
According to the website, it helps the body utilize fat stores for
energy, especially if your daily diet is Paleo/low carb. You still eat
some carbohydrate during the run, but much less than you'd otherwise need. It
also appealed to me because I could avoid consuming a lot of sugar.
The plan: Consume one Vespa 45 minutes before the race
began, then every three hours. I'd eat baby food squeeze
packets and LARABARS for carbohydrates. I filled my hydration pack with good plain water, and took a page
from my favorite American Women's 24-Hour Record Holder and ate pieces of Nuun for my electrolytes. Fizzy!
I reigned in my pace out of respect for the difficult course, and to assess whether my fuel was going to work. I felt curiously optimistic.
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There's a bit of climbing in the first 9 miles ... |
Magical Occurrences. I started the race not truly expecting to finish, but determined to enjoy the miles I ran. I made a promise to myself to stay positive and not let a single complaint escape my lips. I felt well-rested and strong. My improved climbing ability thrilled me. The temperatures stayed cool. Hubz crewed for me, and his steady, take command style was the perfect fit, as usual. My fuel seemed to be working.
Three Pairs of Shoes. My Asics GT-2000 road shoes worked better than expected on the wet, steep trail. One drawback: I felt every pebble and twig. By Mile 39 my feet were tender, so I switched to my Vasques, hoping they'd work. But they had turned against me. Within a couple of miles, they began to hurt. The next chance I had, at mile 46, I swapped them for my yet-to-be-tested-on-trails Brooks Pure Cadence. They were the good fairy in this tale. Cushioned and protective, roomy in the toebox yet snug enough to prevent my foot from slipping, they delivered me through the perilous woods.
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| Leaving Mile 57 Checkpoint. It's not yet dark, no idea why my headlight is on. |
Solitude. I ran alone from Mile 20 on, but for a few short conversations with other
runners. I was making up time and feeling good, and enjoying the silence. Memories of my last race here came flooding back as I
recognized each section of trail and drank it in. I couldn't wait to see
what awaited me around the next bend.
Rejuvenation. All the anxiety, doubts and worries I'd been carrying drained away with my rhythmic steps. A deep peacefulness settled into my soul.
I didn't want it to end. Until about six miles from the finish, I was enjoying every moment. Yes, oh yes, I was sore and stiff and hurting, but what I was gaining was worth all that and much more.
I chose to leave my camera behind. No matter. No photograph can capture the way the waning sunlight sets the field of ferns aglow at Bearpen Hollow, nor the satisfying cadence of running those gentle downhills. It can't convey the cloying scent of the flora and damp grass, the sounds of alternating calls of birds as they settle in for the night, the peeping of frogs in the darkness, the staccato of thousands of light rain drops hitting the tree canopy but never reaching you, the silence in between.
I
have often remarked that the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail is my favorite. Yet I was repeatedly surprised and moved by the surrounding
beauty as I ran. I felt grateful to be out on these trails. I was so glad I
decided to run despite my qualms.
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| A Happy Ending |
I'm not organized enough to write a real year-end recap, but I couldn't resist posting my
DailyMile summary graph and looking back at the miles I ran in 2011.
Last year in
January, I was recovering from a six month battle with a bulging disc in my lower back. I slowly began building my mileage back. Mindful of the long period I'd been unable to run, I took it easy and enjoyed simply being out there.
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| This chart shows total miles including walking, cycling, hiking ... |
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| This shows the miles I ran: 1158 |
My longest run in 2011 was
Highlands Sky 40 Miler. I was ecstatic to run a PR there.
I also ran three
50K trail races, a road
marathon, a
trail half marathon, a
10 mile trail race, two 5
milers and three
5K races (one of which was
supposed to be a 10k).
Races I ran this year:
40 M - 1 (PR)
50 K - 3
26.2 M - 1 (PR)
13.1 M - 1
10 M - 1
5 M - 2
5 K - 3 (PR)
I'm especially looking forward to running my favorite trail race of all, the
Laurel Highlands 70 Miler. It's a challenging, beautiful, ever-changing, close-to-magical trail in southwest Pennsylvania. Every section has different flora. Come race day in June, the wildflowers are everywhere.
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| A stream bed on the Laurel Highlands trail |
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| Running Laurel Highlands 70 Miler in 2006 |
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| Posing for a moment among a fields of ferns as far as the eye can see |
I ran this race in 2006, and had a fantastic day out there. It took me just over 19 hours, and I'm hoping to better my time this year.
My check has been mailed. Now all I have to do is put in the training miles this Spring.
I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge. But mostly, I'm excited to run the miles.
