Trip Report: Saturday February 25th 2023
I happened to stumble across another beautiful Saturday morning in February. Cold but sunny. My goal for the day was to get out on a paved path and attempt a 4 hour 50k and then get the FKT. The sun was out on the drive to Cottage Grove and disappeared behind some low clouds as I got to the trailhead.
I decided to start the run at a 4 hour pace for the 32.3 miles. Starting the run it was cloudy and 25 (reading from the car). It didn't take long before the clouds broke up and the rest of the run was sunny. The path was littered with people and dogs pretty much from start to finish and I probably didn't get more than a mile alone. Hitting the halfway point, I managed just under 2 hours (still on pace). Almost immediately after starting the second half, I started feeling the brutality of running on pavement (some may say it was my own asphalt). Right at mile twenty I got a sharp side cramp and did a short walk to reset myself and get it under control. Back to running I slowed the pace a little and was running the side of the path to avoid the asphalt. Hitting the small downhill section, I started picking back up the pace to try and reel back in the original goal of the 4 hour 50k. I was able to hang on and barely achieve that at 3:59:56 and finish out the run at 4:09:39.
Hydration and nutrition: 1 liter of water, gels, and energy gummies. The 1 liter of water was barely enough even with the colder temps.