Sunday Morning Rush

After 2 near constant days of rain, Sunday welcomed clearing skies. To say it was gorgeous would be to call Venus de Milo not a bad whittling job.

I was fighting off a cold (again) so a full 15 mile run plus 15 mile bike ride was questionable. In fact, I almost canned the whole day but I couldn't resist getting out on the trail. It was just too pretty outside. Off to the Ridgeline I went....

The picture above was taken at the trailhead and does it no justice. The sky was a brilliant blue, spectacular white cumulus contrasting vividly against it, while the lush, verdant winter grass glistened with the rain of the past two days. The leafless oaks that dominate the east face were robed in light green lichen and appeared as if some insane christmas tree farmer had gone 'frocking mad'. The trail was soggy and the few mountain bikers I saw were speckled with mud. In other words, it was an awesome day for a run!

For the 15 mile run I switched tactics and equipment compared to shorter run lengths. Planning an average of 10 minute/mile over this very hilly route I would need lots of water and fuel. In my running pack I had 1 liter of water and 3 power gels (Vanilla-Stawberry...tastes like yogurt of the same name). Normally I figure 1 powergel per 40 minutes (roughly 150 calories per hour) which I "sip" on and wash down with a suck off the water bladder. Today I elected to go 10 minutes longer per fuel pack due to a big breakfast. Combining a sip/suck method is a trick I learned in Adventure Racing to help me keep a steady supply of calorie and maintain a good rate of hydration. Not enough of either leads to "bonking." While too much fuel at once robs the muscles of blood to muscles that is otherwise engaged in processing food in the stomach.

I also worked on keeping the first half of the run at a modest pace and actively took measures to remain between 130-157 heart bpm in order to avoid anaerobic levels. Except for the first two miles out of the trailhead, I was successful in this. The last half of the run was a breeze and I even kicked up the pace some.

Everywhere the trail was wet and by runs end the back of my legs were muddy. I got through a couple of stream crossings without soaking my shoes, but the rain swollen creek at the last one ensures soaked feet. This is where I love my Salomon XA Pro 3D's. They quickly shed water and I can continue running without waterlogged shoes.

As I descend the last 2 miles back to the trail head I squeezed the last of the power gel and water into my mouth. I had calculated that load pretty well sparing myself from any excess and non-useful weight. But wow what a great run on such a wonderful day!

Total run time: 2:16 over 14.8 miles for 9:11 /mile run pace. Average heart rate: 147 bpm.