When in...Kentucky?

Perhaps I am a glutton for punishment. Or, maybe I'm just stubborn? Bored? Perhaps. But, I'm going to go with...determined! Motivated! Prepared :) Ok, so maybe the latter is a bit of a stretch.

Who's Coming to the 6th Annual LBL Trail Runs

60k
Name State Age
Paige Troelstrup IL 27

That's me!! So, yes, I will be pickin' up and headin' down for another taste of some good ol' boy country on March 14th. Hopefully this time I can avoid some of the 'drama' I experienced the last time I ventured down to Kentucky (LLTH 50k), haha. I have taken some preemptive measures...I've asked to borrow my mom's butt-kickin' pickup truck for the weekend, and (Ed will be pleased to know) I purchased a AAA membership! I'm hoping I have myself covered this time :) Now all I need to do is take care of my legs.

I decided to go for the 60k since it's only a hop and a skip up from the 50k and perfect timing in my McNaughton Park 50M training plan. If nothing more, it will be a distance PR for me. No harm in that!

I had been stalking the Western Kentucky Runners Club for a couple of weeks and then while I was running LLTH on Valentine's Day, one of the gals I met was talking up Land Between the Lakes and going on and on about how much fun it is and how beautiful the course is. So that pretty much sealed the deal. It's also great timing for me personally because with all that's going on right now, I could certainly see myself waivering in training if I didn't find another race to work on before April.

The website is nice n' simple and after I registered, Steve, the RD, e-mailed me directly to welcome me and thank me for registering. How cool is that?

From what I've been told, it's a pretty 'easy' course, compared to the two other 50k's I've completed (Stone Steps and LLTH) so I'm very happy about that. It's a 11 mile + change loop run three times (for the 60k) and about 3.5 miles total out-and-back from the start to the Canal Loop, and then to the finish after the final loop. Not too much elevation at all. My right knee is pleased with that.

Here's the course map:
It'll be nice to see some familiar faces at LBL. From the registered runners list, I recognize a number of people that were also at LLTH, so I'm excited about that. It will also be a great distraction for a weekend. Running, trails, fresh air, new place; these things always put the soul at ease :) Plus I totally want a buckle to show off at my running club!

Time to brush off the moving dust (more on this soon!) from my pearls and get them ready to hit the trail again.

Onward!

Paige, out.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love and War in Louisville

"There is no wisdom without love." ~ N. Sri Ram

Well, I finished! And, what's more is I finished strong, smiling and feeling like I could have kept on going. Louisville's Lovin' the Hills 50k was the third time I've completed the distance (2nd race), but the first time I felt really great at the end. It has given me hope for the McNaughton Park 50M in April! My experience down in the Lou is one I will never forget...not just because it was an awesome race, but also because of the chain of events that followed, and the people I met. Wow, what a weekend!

After getting all packed up and everything in the car, I hunkered down, ready for the long roadtrip ahead of me, only to find my battery was completely dead...so, I called my older brother, Tate, and he came right over and jumped my car for me, phew! Bullet dodged. I scooped up my youngest brother/partner in crime for the weekend, Gunny, out in the 'burbs and we finally hit the road. I thought my car troubles were behind me, yea, right. Sitting in some bumper-to-bumper traffic for half an hour just north of Lafayette (there was a nasty accident) I noticed the temperature gauge on my dash was in the red, yikes. So once we got moving again, I exited and went to a gas station to check things out, and fill 'er up. Everything seemed fine, and once we were out of traffic, the car cooled down. Eight hours later (it was supposed to only take us 5.5 hours!) we pulled into the hotel parking lot in Louisville, which was really close to the race start so I was glad to get to sleep in a tad more. Gunny sat down and started working on his writing and I buzzed around the room getting everything together for the morning. Somehow, a Gu exploded in the bag that held all my race food. Gross. That took a nice half hour to clean up and find the culprit Gu. Bed around 12:30.

At 6:00 a.m., we both rolled out of bed (it was easy to wake up Gunny when I told him there was free food in the hotel lobby) and grabbed breakfast. There were a few other runners downstairs and we all looked like zombies :) The directions I printed off the LLTH blog were perfect and got us to the start/finish staging area at the Horine Reservation within the Jefferson Memorial Forest. The sun began to rise around 7:30 a.m. and I ducked inside the warm tent to grab my t-shirt and bib number, then dashed back into my car to keep warm and get ready for the start.
It was already shaping up to be a gorgeous day, which was a surprise to everyone as the weather called for sub-40's and light rain. I had to use the ladies' room before we headed out, so I walked over to the latrines to find that the 'toliet' was a hole raised about 2 inches off the ground surrounded by some wood for privacy. I was laughing so hard coming out of it that I thought I'd fall over. Everyone found them to be pretty funny :)

All set for a nice run through the woods! Starting line is behind me

After a quick speech from the RD's and a big...HUGE...thank you to all the volunteers for rallying in the last couple of weeks to clear the course after a nasty ice storm, followed by a nasty wind storm, we were off! There was also a 15 mile race going on simultaneously and it was obvious who was running it...the ones gunning it from the start! I stayed at the very back and plodded along with a group of women with cute matching bandannas. We were very quickly introduced to the trail's "love", also known as the Hills. The sharp ascents were always followed by identical sharp descents and I quickly decided I preferred going up!

One of the more tame climbs...

In all the course was a very nice surprise. It was clearly very challenging and really tested my training, of which I was incredibly thankful for my one-day-a-week treadmill hill workouts. Some of the climbs, according to my GPS, were at a 30% grade, yikes! And, at LLTH, that means you're getting an equal fall afterwards.

Elevation profile from my GPS

I got into a pretty good groove after the final quick loop before the out-and-back portion. I met a woman who smoked for 33 years, quit, and began running 3 years ago. She was kicking some butt. She said she could really only tell that she used to smoke whenever she had to climb, but I couldn't tell...I was working pretty hard to keep up with her! There was a young-ish guy in front of me for quite a while that I was able to keep pace with after passing the halfway point. He was great on downhills, but I always passed him on the ups. He was hurting and I mentioned he should take in some electrolytes at the next aid station (he was drinking plain water the whole time) and see how he felt. I'm not sure if he did or not, but I passed him heading back to the finish (his mile 20, my mile 27). Hopefully he made out okay! I also met a really nice gal at the turnaround aid station. She headed out before me, but once I realized I was picking off the women I wanted to catch up to her. I finally did and we ran together for awhile. She was from the area and knew the trails well so she was really covering some ground fast. I had a great time matching her stride for stride and she was just so nice and chatty. It was great to have someone to talk to for a bit. At the second to last aid station, she seemed to want to hang around for a bit, but I wanted to get going as the woman keeping track of all the runners said I had really sped up and passed a lot of runners so I had a bit of an energy boost from that news. I said good luck and got back on the trail!

Once I was on my own again, I started getting a little bored with the same song stanza playing over and over in my head so I took some pictures...

Of course when I allow myself to dilly dally, I fall. Luckily, I managed to keep it pretty simple and was up just as fast as I went down. I laughed pretty hard because it hurt but also because I managed to fall into one of the very few wet spots on the whole trail. Go figure. But hey, what's a trail run without a little mud on the face and knees?

I caught up to another woman and her partner and after tailing them for a bit they got caught at a fallen tree that I just hopped over and then I didn't see them again until the finish line. I have to say that I was in one of the best moods I've been in in awhile. It's been a busy and hectic year so far, but I was able to forget about it and just do my thing. I had one negative thought the entire race, and it didn't come until the very end when I caught up to a guy that was having trouble on the ridiculous climb that led to the finish line. He kept looking back at me as I was gaining on him pretty fast and he mumbled something, to which I replied, "go f$#@ing figure they save this climb for the end." He started laughing so hard I was able to pass him and hold it for a couple minutes, but once we reached the top he gunned it for the finish ahead of me.

Woohoo, I made it!! Pain free and completely elated! My official finishing time was 7:15.05, and the distance was a tad more than 50k, 32.4 miles. Gunny was there to see it and he later told me he thought it was pretty cool to see me cross the finish line :) What a sweet brother!

Modeling my newest piece of Atayne-wear...long sleeve 4R's...the verdict: freakin' awesome! After the wind settled up top, I kept my wind shell around my waist the majority of the race and my shirt was perfect for the weather and kept me warm in the wind, and cool when the sun was beating down

I was so happy to be done and ready for a nap, and some serious eating. I grabbed a bowl of spaghetti and some fruit in the tent and talked to some people in there. I met Alan J. who is a big fan of Atayne. He was awesome and had one of the coolest mustaches I've ever seen in person. A couple women sitting at another table commented on how they thought I looked too 'pretty' to have just run 31 miles. I said I felt pretty...disgusting! Then I showed them the pearls I had worn the entire race (of course I had on my lucky race pearls!) and that they must have done the trick :) They loved that; pearls and trails, a match made in heaven! When I got back to the car, I changed into some warm clothes and got all set to go. However, my car had a different plan...it didn't want to go; it was declaring war with me. This was a bullet I wasn't going to be able to dodge. The engine was turning, but it wasn't firing. So, long story short, my car was dead as a doorknob. The guy who had just barely beat me tried jumping it, but clearly it wasn't the battery. Then Ed K. walked over asking if I needed help. Ed, Larry H. (who works for JMF and helped clear the trails for the race) and his coworker, Matt, spent about 2 hours trying to figure out what the problem was. In the end Ed called AAA for me and got me towed into town to a mechanic. Larry gave Gunny and I a ride so we could get my car checked in, and then got us to a hotel. Obviously, these guys went WAY above and beyond any call of duty and I am forever indebted to them. It just really reinforced for me that people are basically good, and that 'ultra' people are angels :)

Ed, Larry and Matt, thank you a million times over; I would have been completely stranded had it not been for you guys. You're the best!

How often do you have your car towed after a race? In Kentucky?

So, another night in KY! We gorged on pizza and cinnamon sticks and watched movies. In the morning we had to walk up the highway to get to the mechanic's where my car was waiting to cost me an arm and a leg :)

"I keep spilling my coffee on my hand!"

"Hahaha, we look like hobos walking down the highway with our bags, and now that there isn't a sidewalk!"

My legs were tired from our little stroll down Preston Highway. I stopped for a break under this sign. Now I realize that it wasn't just a pizza joint...hehehe

An arm and a leg later, I got my car back and I dared it to ever pull that B-S again!

Cool wooden finisher award, a Colorado Blue Spruce, race tee and my bib

So, the morals of the story are: never travel without AAA, moms are usually right ("Paige, you shouldn't drive your car that far right now, take mine."), don't pile heavy stuff on top of a bag full of Gu packets, I have a really awesome baby brother who is an excellent sidekick, Atayne kicks butt on the trail, Clif Shot Bloks are lifesavers, and the trail makes everything better.

I had an excellent race. It was my first solo endurance event and I managed very well without much interaction or my music (which I always thought I had to have). I managed my fluid/electrolytes/carbs and calories very well. I drank often (water with a Nuun tab), ate 3 Cran Razz Clif Shot Bloks or one Gu per hour and ate very little at the aid stations (save for a couple homemade peanut butter cookies, peanut butter pretzels and a large portion of jumbo marshmallows, yum!). My legs, shins and lungs felt great and I managed to keep my hands and feet from swelling, woohoo, success! My right knee was giving me grief on the downhills starting around the halfway point, but it wasn't horrendous. I only fell once, didn't roll either of my ankles (not even once!), I tripped up a few times which somehow coincided with my need to eat (now that should tell you something about the importance of paying attention to race nutrition!). I almost didn't need my timer to tell me when to eat, I could tell when I tripped that it was time. I was in such a good mood the entire time. I high-fived runners, cheered others on as we went along, cracked jokes at aid stations and made sure I smiled as often as possible. I felt fantastic! It was a lovely day for a jaunt in the woods!

One more moral of the story: I will be back. LLTH is officially on my new list of favorite races :)

Paige, out.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Mud Love

"You stand at the edge of your inner wilderness, and there is no reason you cannot explore it on your own..." ~ Lazarus Lake

The sun is out, the temperature has crept above freezing and that means the snow and ice has finally melted, so...hello mud!

Out for a 12-miler yesterday on the seemingly innocuous lakefront path, to enjoy the break in the weather and shake the legs out after a day off and a deep tissue massage on Thursday. About 3.5 miles into the run I encountered a glorious section of the path that was flooded by the flash-melting of ice and snow and it was nothing but mud and muck for the next mile. There was no tip toeing around it, and no 'safe route'. The only way was straight through it. I stopped at the edge of the mess and pondered for a brief second; a mass of other runners had gathered at the edge as well, likely considering turning around, but then I said, "Woohoo! Mud!" and jumped right in splashing and laughing as I pounded my way through it. It was so much fun, more than I anticipated...it's just mud, afterall. But after a long, freezing winter (which there is surely more of in the coming month) it was so nice to see gooey disgusting mud...I felt as if I were on a trail somewhere far away :)

My feet were soaked completely and I had mud up to the hem of my running skirt, and with 8.5 more miles to go (and another run through the mud pit on the way back north) most would probably have been pretty miffed, but I was just eatin' it all up! It beat the hell out of sitting at home watching crappy TV, or shopping, or doing anything that requires one to be stuck inside. There were tons of huge path-wide puddles all along the path so my legs got rinsed off pretty well, but I managed to keep some filth on so I could show my doorman. The doorman on duty when I usually head out for my long runs on the weekend is in awe of what I do (he's not a runner by any measure) and loves to hear my stories. My muddy legs were a source of endless entertainment yesterday.

It was so wonderful to get out and get some sun and fresh air on my legs and to be able to take a deep breath without feeling like my lungs are getting frost bitten. This is what I enjoy most about running. I can't wait to hit the trails next weekend in Louisville...I bet there will be plenty of mud if all the remnants of the recent ice storm there have melted.

Here's to many more miles and lots more mud as the spring slowly begins to creep in and take over.

Paige, out.

Louie, Louie!

Well, I've gone and done it now :) I've committed to a race, again, that I have never done before without an inkling of what to expect...and it's one week away. I love the smaller races, especially because the smaller the race the more likely it is I can wait until the last minute to register for it, but also because the hospitality is most likely going to rock the party.

Louisville Love'n the Hills, here I come! The race is next weekend, on Valentine's Day.

This will be my first ultra distance without Mike, which will be totally weird. However, I've managed to convince my wonderful youngest brother, Gunny, to join me. I think this will be an awesome opportunity to spend time with my little brother, whom I rarely see these days, and a cool way to introduce him to what it is I'm always talking about. He'll be the first member of my family to witness the ultra madness firsthand! I'm so excited to have him along, I just hope he's not too bored waiting for my tortoise butt to cross the finish line :)

Mike and I were supposed to do Holiday Lake 50k on the 14th, but lots has come up and neither of us were going to be able to make it this time around. So, I'm hoping the LLTH 50k will be a nice substitute for me since I'm all trained up and ready for another 50k now. It'll be about a 5-hour drive, which isn't bad and a hella cheaper than airfare. Hopefully, Gunny will be able to tolerate my penchant for singing outloud in the car on long roadtrips, and my ability to get lost in a 10x8 room, let alone on the road...going somewhere I've never been before :)

I solicited the List for thoughts on the race, and those who got back to me said it is a well organized event and a lot of fun, but challenging and, well, hilly. Here is the elevation profile for the first 13 miles:
And here's a little description of the course, from Brenda Gutmann:

"The course consists of a 5 mile loop, a 7 mile loop, and an 18 mile out and back which brings the runners up around a lovely little lake to the finish. All of the different loops include little bits of “love” that some call mountains, some call climbs, and some call ladders, depending on where they usually train. We have heard that there are 17 of these lovely contours, and we advertise this, but no one knows for sure if this number is correct. We do know they are spaced out nicely and provide for beautiful vistas when the person being loved gets to the top."

Stone Steps was a killer with constant climbs, but I made it out alive, so maybe I stand a chance next week. I'm one of eight ladies so far, and the rest of the 52 registered 50k runners are male. Pretty typical in an ultra I think. I've put together my list of stuff to bring and now I'm getting excited...a race! I'm undecided on doing drop bags, but not even sure we're allowed to do those. It sounds like weather conditions are pretty unpredictable down there, from reading past race reports, and they've had a recent ice storm that could make things interesting on the trail.

As usual, stay tuned for pictures and a race report...hopefully it'll all be good :) I'll be trail-testing for the first time my new long-sleeve Atayne ladies top. It'll be fun to get back out on the trail again, stretching out the legs, pushing the limits and getting pissed at the hills like I love to do; it's been soooooo long! This time, I'll have to either talk to myself as I quietly curse the trail, or find some unsuspecting soul to help pass the time. I'm so used to having Mike at my side on the trail, giving me positive feedback and laughing at my trail-isms (and wipeouts). It'll be a test of will and determination for sure...a character-building race!

Gotta ice the legs from today's 12-miler so I'm not a wreck for tomorrow's 10-miler.

Paige, out.

Race Happy

It's that time of year...the time when I begin putting together my race calendar, however tentative it may be. I just like having it all in one place so I can pick and choose as I go. Talking to Mike last night, we were discussing a couple upcoming races (one we both signed up for, and another that just he signed up for) and how we'll probably have to miss them. Stuff changes and it's hard to predict what's going to happen from one day to the next (especially in our case!).

That's what sucks about races, specifically ultras: you have to roll the die and hope that you'll still be available/prepared for a race that you need to sign up for months and months in advance because of how quickly trail races fill up these days. Inevitably, a few of my races will become what I think is called a 'sunk cost'. With the way things are these days, it's hard to shell out the pricey entry fees without thinking of a better way to use that money, especially when it's very likely that the race will somehow become inconvenient once it rolls around. And yet, I still choose to gamble :)

That said, my race calendar has filled up pretty quickly! Since one of my goals for 2009 is to come under 1:50 for a 1/2 marathon, I have four halfathons lined up already: 13.1 Chicago Marathon, Rock N' Roll 1/2 Chicago, Batavia Half Madness and the Chicago Half Marathon. I figure they'll at the very least serve as a good long run. If I'm really feeling spicy, I could turn around at the finish and run back to the start to get in a full for the day. Plus, I'd be lying if I said I hate finisher medals :)

I really want to get in a few 50k's this year and a few 50-milers, but there's not a whole lot around here so I have to consider travel expenses when I'm picking my races. I wish I could race every weekend; that would be my perfect world...along with an endless supply of Brooks Cascadias, fruit punch Accelerade, gummy bears and PB&J wheat wraps.

In ORN: I'm coming along in my training, better than expected. I had a long-overdue physical yesterday (I'm talkin' at least three years overdue) and all is well. My sports doc is also my general practice doc so he also checked out things like balance, gait, leg and hip strength and poked around on my shins. He said I am "clearly a lot stronger than last time!" And, my balance has "improved remarkably." Woohoo! I like to hear these things. We discussed my training plan and he was impressed with what I've done and especially liked hearing that I did a base-building phase this time around (something I have failed to do since my high school track days). He also suggested I start doing yoga...for stress, but also to bolster my training.

I had a great long run last Saturday. It was another one of those runs that served more as a means to toughen me up than to give me time on my feet. I got in just shy of 12 miles (wanted to do 16, but amended that goal at mile 6). It was unfathomably cold! I hit the pavement at 7:30 a.m. as planned and after the first few minutes my body began to register the cold for what it was. It was a frigid 6 degrees, but at least the sun was out in full force; the only saving grace. I had a bottle of orange Accelerade (which became a slushy by mile 5, and was solid by the time I got home) and two Clif Shots. Navy Pier became the turn around and was a welcome respite from the cold (and a warm bathroom!). The wind picked up a tad on the way back north, but it wasn't all bad. I felt good the entire run, and my shins kept quiet. I'm thinking maybe 13.1 is my fatigue threshold...anything below I'm fine for the day, but anything above I feel incredibly tired and usually end up taking extended naps on those days.

So far I'm on par for the week and I'm shooting for 18 on Saturday. It's looking promising though; the weather looks awesome right now...partly sunny and 31. Just right. Maybe my water bottle won't freeze this time...

I did a tough hill workout on the treadmill last night; it kicked my butt, but it was still fun. Running a 10 minute mile on a 10% incline is mighty tough, but I think I'll be able to get it up to a full mile without walking pretty soon :) McNaughton Park is scaring me into hill training!

Paige, out.

A little something I thought was kind of funny...and I amended it slightly in the brackets so that it was more apropos :-)

If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the [Ultra] must have taken Him completely by surprise. ~P.Z. Pearce

A Little Breather

"He is able who thinks he is able." ~Buddha

Ah bliss, that's how it feels now that I've gotten my long run out of the way. I didn't have a chance to get to it this weekend as I was cooped up in a windowless classroom cramming for the GMAT. I learned that my gym now closes at 6:30 on weekend nights. I missed the memo on that one, as it used to be 8:00. I also learned that fractions are my very worst enemy. My brain hates them so much it goes on lockdown and refuses to make any logical sense of numbers and words. The worst was when a problem came up that was a word problem that used fractions, percents, logic and long division. I could normally handle the other stuff, but since the fractions were 'touching' the other math portions I couldn't function. Kind of like how I don't like my peas to touch my mashed potatoes. Gross.

Ok, I digress. So I took today off work to decompress from the weekend, and decided to make good use of the "warm" weather we were blessed with. Sun, not a cloud in the sky, and a downright balmy 28 degrees! I mean could you ask for better weather?! I had fourteen miles planned as my long run so I hopped to it and dragged my ass around my condo for an hour while I got ready, prepped an electrolyte drink, dug out some Gu and huffed and puffed about losing my favorite Smartwool running gloves. I had on two pair of running tights, a pair of wool snowboarding socks over a pair of Mizuno Breathe socks (that totally rock, by the way), my Cascadias, three tops under a windbreaker jacket, neck gaiter, hat and gloves. I remembered to grab sunglasses on my way out the door, and I'm really glad I did.

I decided to skip doing my usual on the lakefront path, and instead keep to the sidewalks where there was plenty of distraction and people watching. I ran straight down Broadway to Clark, cut over to Wells then turned on Wacker where I then turned onto Michigan all the way to Roosevelt. I weaved my way through Millenium Park, a bit of the Path, and then decided to avoid the gusty wind and stick to the sidewalks again. It was cold! I hit 14.1 miles with about another mile to go before home, so I fast walked it in. I felt great, but completely wiped out. The cold really started to get to me once I turned and headed back north. My layers were perfect and kept me really comfortable, but my neck was a little exposed and that, my friends, is my achilles. I can be completely wrapped up and cozy, but if my neck gets so much as a breeze on it I'm done for. I know, weird. It felt SO GOOD to get out and pound the pavement for a couple hours. I didn't feel rushed, or pre-occupied or worried about anything. I was just running, and totally enjoying myself. I need more of those runs :)

One minor annoyance: what's with people not moving out of the way when they see you coming down the sidewalk? C'mon! The sidewalks were even narrower because of how they were shoveled (basically the width of two snowshovels), but still enough for two people. Everytime, as I approached people in the opposite direction, we'd make eye contact (so I knew that they saw me!) and then they wouldn't move out of the way! Hello, there's sidewalk etiquette: keep to the right...and don't step in front of people coming towards you. People walking two wide really got on my nerves; you're supposed to step in front of or behind your buddy when someone else is trying to get by you. I plowed through many a snowdrift to get around people like this...I would even say "excuse me" or "pardon me" and they would just look back at me and continue on as if I weren't trying to get by. Jerks. Trust me, I'd rather be running in the bike lane in the street, but with how slippery it is right now, I'm not willing to risk my life at this juncture. That's reserved for trail racing :)

Speaking of, New Year's was rockin', and naturally involved some trail running. I flew out to spend the holiday with Mike and that Saturday we decided to give the Big Schloss Trail a go. It was a good couple hours from D.C., in the George Washington National Forest, near Front Royal, Virginia. Absolutely gorgeous! I bet that place is just out of this world in season. We kept to the main trail and got exactly 10 miles in on some really awesome single-track. It was the last day of hunting season (which we didn't know about until we got there and asked someone), so it's a good thing we had our reflective gear on :) It was cold and there was some evidence of recent snowfall on the ground. I misjudged some footing on numerous occasions and got a freezing cold reminder that not all the streams were frozen over. Always on my right foot, too. It was a challenging trail, with plenty of rocks and whatnot, actually a lot of rocks. The first half was all uphill, at a decent grade, but not so bad you couldn't run a good lot of it. The second half was all downhill which we were thankful for as we were able to let loose and run.

Mike on the Big Schloss Trail

At the top, we stepped off the trail at an overlook. Beautiful! We couldn't have had better weather, or a better view.

Looking over the valley, atop the Trail

We considered our pace and that the sun was falling fast, so we decided not to do the out-and-back portion that would have taken us to the Big Schloss (meaning "castle")...it's a big rock formation at the tip of one section of the trail. It was getting cold fast, too.

Checking out the view...totally worth the climb

On the way back down, we came across a section that was like a mini boulder field. It looked cool, but definitely wasn't runnable. Considering my nack for taking one big spill during each trail run, I decided to be extra careful.

Gingerly negotiating the rocks, they were begging for me to fall :)

So I made it down through the rocks, and as soon as I got to a flat section, you guessed it, I bit it hard! This was by far the worst spill I've mustered. I don't even know what I did this time. I layed out completely, somehow managing to turn myself enough so that only my right side made contact, but I still slide a few inches on my right knee and forearm. Wow, it stung! Tears sprang from my eyes from the pain as I rolled onto my butt and sat there in shock. I was laughing all the while. Mike comes running back to check on me, with words of support, "Next time can you not move and let me get a picture first?" That made me laugh even more :) My knee stiffened up quite a bit from the impact; as I got up to continue on I looked back at the rocks I had descended and couldn't believe how lucky I was to have fallen where I fell. Wow! That'll wake you up! I actually managed to draw blood this time, but we still had plenty of trail to cover. Onward!

On the last quarter mile, we were on gravel road. We passed a huge hunting posse of about 20 or 30 guys in camo and orange gear with shotguns. Now I've been leered at before, but this was a whole new kind of leer we were getting. Yikes! Mike said it's a good thing I hadn't seen Deliverance...afterall, we were in the mountains, and the trail bordered West Virginia. I felt slightly outnumbered. Not to mention we looked pretty funny compared to those dudes, in our running tights and camelbaks :)

I love trail running, but it is a sort of exhaustion that eclipses your basic everyday exhaustion. It felt great to get back to the car, and get some food in our systems.

Atop the trail, overlooking a valley in the GW National Forest

My official countdown to McNaughton Park 50M hasn't begun yet, but I'm well into my training for it and am really happy with the run I got in today. I've never run that long on my own so it's nice to know I can manage it alone. Getting out there solo can be difficult, especially when it's so cold out, but there are worse things. Like sitting on your butt watching bad TV when you could be out running! I'm so ready for the spring, and for earlier sunrises :)

Paige, out.

A "Supreme Lack of Utility"

I've seen this quote a number of times over the last few months, but it finally struck me today as complete, sublime truth, and written so perfectly. I love a good quote and I decided this one was good enough to be its own post :) Enjoy...

"... Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of spaceships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense. The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being -- a call that asks who they are ..."

- David Blaikie

Paige, out.