I had intended to run this trail route last weekend, but ended up waking up with a completely blocked ear! Well, not the hardest thing to make plans to come back to this beautiful area the following weekend as well.
Began at Strawberry Point to yet another gorgeous sunrise at 7:35am. Completely inspired by my girlfriend, Carrie's run the weekend before, I was ready to give it my best go and set a male usupported time (with mini hopes of getting close to the supported male's as well). I had run, I think, 4 times in the previous several months, so this was going to be 90% mental (and the rest in my head). The temperatures throughout the morning were t-shirt perfection. The climb up to Navajo Lake was long and pretty tedious, but the aspens in the beginning were beautiful, though on their last leaves. Cruising along with big smiles and pretty great legs, I decided to turn on the podcast I had loaded up discussing one of my favorite animals, the California Condor! Maybe I was a little too into it, because all of a sudden I looked around and I was surrounded by houses. Crud, gotta check the map. Yep, missed my turn, and wouldn't you know it...I had been cruising downhill at about a 11% grade. Back up the hill with hands on my knees, I started getting mad at myself but turned that into "woohoo! Free miles!
Most of the rest of the day was single track bliss. Except for a few groups at Cascade, I only saw ONE other person! The hills were hills and the flats were flats and I continued to speak outloud to myself most of the journey. Mostly I was telling my brain to tell my right hamstring that we were all okay and we had plenty of nutrition and hydration so please be quiet...please! It is, after all, the cramps that usually stop me from my goals. Oh, that and the infamous IT band.
The rest of the day was unexceptional...and in that vein...exceptional! Several looks at my watch and a bunch of Trail Math had me thinking I could actually be quicker than the Supported time but alas, the last "little" hill told my untrained body that this was not going to happen. But! Consolation prize (besides the beauty) was a potential sub-8 hour run! So with that in mind, I pulled slightly at the adrenal glands and hustled to the Woods Ranch finish where I smiled a huge, sweat-crusted grin at Carrie and Chloe who for some reason didn't seem as surprised as I sure was.
A time that surely will get smashed, but a 'time' on a beautiful trail that I will remember with love.
Cheers,
Nick
Unsupported: Dropped off at Strawberry Point and picked up at Woods. Nobody ran with me or met me for any part of the run
Food: 2 x gels, 2 x Shot Blocs 1 x luna bar
Water: ~ 3.75 liters
Clothing: T-shirt, shorts, Ultimate Direction vest, Garmin Vivoactive 3, rain shell (unused), lucky feather (very much used!)