Week ending March 11

Mon 3/5  8 1/2 miles at Croft. This was a good hard run after my down week, and reminds me why the down week is necessary. Certainly the hilliest 8 1/2 mile run out here, mostly because of the Chapters. There’s a new little alternate trail with a pretty significant side-slope, enough to give my ankles and feet a workout. Add in the constant climbing or descending, and, well, yeah. Bristol loved it, too.

from Dairy Ridge: Palmetto Trail to the Chapters to Hensington to Palmetto

Tue 3/6 4 miles at Cottonwood. Nice and easy.

Wed 3/7  7 miles at Croft. And still made it to Snidely rehearsal, almost on time.

from Dairy Ridge: New Edition to Lake Johnson connector to Hensington to Palmetto

Thu 3/8  3 miles, including one mile barefoot. Squeezed this in early because we had a crazy, packed day of work and play. We celebrated the opening of a great little sliver of a park tucked between the hippest coffee shop/bakery/bookstore/wine shop around. Lots of things were done right, and I have high hopes for its becoming a gathering place. 

This is the kind of amazing scenery you get
on the Blue Ridge Escarpment: Jones Gap State Park.

Later, at SPACE’s annual meeting, Patrick McMillan rocked our world reminding us how important our personal decisions about property, and landscaping, and protection are. Here, he said, we have a greater responsibility because our particular place, generally the Blue Ridge Escarpment, but especially the part that runs through the wet is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. Pretty amazing stuff. 

Fri 3/9  2 1/2 miles. A very busy day, including work, installing a toilet in our downstairs bathroom because L was bringing home a friend from school, and picking up L and said friend from said school. 

We went to our favorite burger joint for dinner, and I had the usual--a pimento cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and onion, fries and a couple of PBRs. 

And I still hadn’t run. Rather than let my food digest and continue to test my resolve to get out the door, I just got out the door.

I don’t see how this guy does it. I wobbled my silly ass around the neighborhood, unable to really find any regular pace. My legs, on the other hand, felt pretty good. Got it done: 61 days.

Sat 3/10  4 miles, including 2 miles barefoot

Sun 3/11  22 1/2 miles at Croft. A beautiful day, cold enough in the morning to wear long pants (and try out carrying food without any significant pockets). All of my long runs  so far have been alone (with Bristol), so I was looking forward to running with Seth, Curtis Rowe from North Carolina, and Gordon. We did one loop of 14 miles, with hardly a flat step and a pile of sustained hills. 

Gordon having raced a half-marathon the day before, Curtis having done a killer speed workout of 24 x 400 in about 80 seconds each the day before, and Seth still coming back from injury and the ol’ snip-snip, the first loop was suitably slow. I was by myself for the second loop. I ran back up to the Chapters to add another hilly section and 8 1/2 miles to my run. Though I was tired and slowing, I continued to work the downhills, and ran all but a few steps to eat and drink.

from Dairy Ridge: first loop: Palmetto to TC’s to the little lake trail to the Lake Trail to New Edition; second loop: Palmetto to the Chapters and back out the Palmetto. 

Total: 51 1/2 miles in seven runs

This song has been stuck in my head all week, running or not.

Injury, the Camp Croft Half-Marathon and "That's not your man"

In early September, I planned a long run at my favorite nearby state park, Jones Gap, where 2000 foot climbs abound and the scenery rivals about anything I’ve ever seen. I've run most everything there, but had always opted to run the spectacular Rim of the Gap Trail rather than the entire length of the Pinnacle Pass Trail. That day, cloudy and cool, I would complete Pinnacle, adding another 1500-foot climb to make a seventeen mile or so jaunt with about 5500 feet of ascent.

Along the Rim of the Gap Trail

I arrived just as the gates were opening, and packed up. About ten steps from the car, my familiar calf-cramp seized up. Thinking I was already done for the day, I carried on. My calf didn’t complain on the initial hefty climb up the Blue Ridge Escarpment that makes all these trails so tough, though I could still feel it. I decided then that I would cut my day short since there was no way out once I passed the six mile or so mark.

Returning down the escarpment, my calf did complain, and I dialed back the pace. Since then I’ve had pain that sometimes receded enough for me to think it was gone, and sometimes made it hard to walk. My plans to run a hard Camp Croft Half-Marathon went by the wayside. With the race tomorrow, I’ve had three or four hard runs in the past eight weeks, including a speed day—my first formal fast workout in a couple of years. I’m expecting a hard training run, but not much more.

This week and last I’ve been pain-free. I didn’t push much last weekend, but this week has included two fairly hard runs. Tuesday I had a running meeting with the cross-country coach in the town where I’m doing some work. We are planning a greenway along their sewer right-of-way, and I wanted to show him and get his support. We had a fantastic run that included some bushwhacking that left me a little bloody from the briars, and then a quick loop of their cross country course. Mostly we had a terrific chat about running and life in general.

On Wednesday I was out at Croft to help my buddy Seth by marking the last 4 ½ miles of the course. I came back by the road in the dark, and for no reason whatsoever it turned into a good 2+ mile tempo effort under 7 minute pace. As I was finishing up, I noticed headlamps on the wrong side of the road, opposite the trail. It was the Sheriff’s Department tracking team out training. As I approach I saw the bloodhound on a line, and heard the deputy saying, “That’s not your man, that’s not your man.” I was pretty glad I was not his man!

Tomorrow’s race should be fun: with recent rains, it’ll be a mud-fest, for sure. I had thought I’d run in the Montrail Rogue Racers that I love so much, but will instead go with the Montrail Mountain Masochists I just bought. After the run, I’ll perform with Snidely Sidewinder and the Unrepentant Uke Boys, so my afternoon will, after the beer drinking required for any Snidely performance, involve a nap.

Sunday I’ll get Bristol the Enduro-Dog a little exercise as we both gear up for the hard training I have planned this winter. I’m guessing all that will add up to about 40 miles in five days. Here’s hoping my calf cooperates.

Bristol the Enduro-Dog