I ran from West to East on July 10th 2016 - I however did not summit Whitney due to mild pneumonia kicking in the last 20 miles. 23hrs5mins
Here are my Strava links (which only show moving time so it looks like I ran it much faster but definitely did NOT) and my thoughts after completing the run solo and unsupported.
PART 1:
www.strava.com/activities/638109604
PART 2:
www.strava.com/activities/638108833
PART 3:
www.strava.com/activities/638519244
Part 4: (I thought my garmin died and I manually entered the last bit of mileage and it has all the pics along the way, which weren't many)
www.strava.com/activities/637573018
Yesterday I ran 70.7 miles with a gain of ~14500ft all above 7000' and along the way I had ample time to ponder and conclude the following:
1) Never underestimate running in the dark up steep and rocky trails. You will go much slower than you think.
2) Never underestimate running up steep and rocky trails that are fully exposed to the sun and therefore are hot. You will go much slower than you think.
3) Running The High Sierra Trail from west to east, in one day, is huge... Really, really huge.
4) I understand why people who run very long distances usually run them in races. You don't have to carry nearly as much crap and the spectators/volunteers are an incredible source of energy that food alone won't provide. You will seldom see people on the trail and if you do, they don't give a rat's ass about what you're doing but why should they?
5) Running without headphones or music forces you to experience the suffering wholeheartedly. I wish I brought headphones.
6) If you don't regularly run over 50 miles, something will inevitably go wrong and you might not have the know-how to fix it out in the field but if you do, thank your lucky stars.
7) Case in point: Chaffing happens, it hurts, and no amount of goop down there helps. But out of desperation you will come up with crazy, dumb, or genius ideas to alleviate the inner thigh burn. Such as, ripping out your running briefs built-in underwear (crazy and dumb) to find it doesn't help. So you decide to tape up around your thighs with athletic tape and finish out the last 18 miles without suffering (think jock strap minus the cup - GENIUS!)
8) Always have a sense of humor. See above point.
9) You will always pack too much food. You will think you're drinking enough water. This is not true, drink more.
10) There are few things that will really screw you over and are terrifying when you're out in the middle of the mountains without anyone around.
11) Case in point: Pneumonia. The crackly sounds emanating from my lips with every gasp, followed by phlegm-filled hacks filled me with doubt. I had to dig deep to make myself finish even though I could hardly breath. I got to trail crest barely breathing and decided to forego summiting Whitney. I figured I been up that thing three times before and each case was WAY cooler than my current state of affairs. This hacking didn't allow me to sleep afterwards. Which sucked.
12) Switchbacks suck. Especially the switch backs on both slopes leading up to trail crest.
13) Tapering is important. They don't say that for shits n giggles. Listen and don't get ahead of yourself.
14) Long-distance running is really, really, REALLY boring. I honestly had no idea until I ran 70 miles through some of the most beautiful terrain.
15) Hitting mile 60 at 13000' is funny. I'm glad I remembered to bring my sense of humor along.
16) Goals are never set in stone. If you find yourself not enamored with the process and hitting milestones along the way produce nothing for you, perhaps your goal isn't meant to be yours. Time to reevaluate things!
17) Finishing this run was anticlimactic unlike any other sport I've done. Which led me to decide to quit running long-distance. I'd much rather put my energy into climbing which always makes me stoked, even if it's a 30' sport route.
18) Hold it together out there. Being strong-willed and telling yourself you got this, works. Feeling sorry for yourself, does not. When shit hits the fan, you should be able to figure it out in order to get out safe without having to rely on someone else. I had to tell a couple of men coming down the Whitney trail I couldn't walk down with them as a 'light source' because I was tired and needed to finish. I don't think they understood but fending for yourself is sometimes the only option. So I kept running.
19) But most importantly be thankful for the crazy fucks in your life that will run the opposite direction than you so you can switch rigs. Also, learn from them and do it over two days so you enjoy it.