waterline went pretty well yesterday. the run begins at 8000' about a 20 minute drive up the mountain from town. it's a simply beautiful dirt road, closed to traffic that hugs the east side of the mountains, maintaining about a 2% grade the entire way. it's about 10 miles to the watershed, fresh spring water, and traditional turn-around point. but we entered uncharted territory and continued another 2 miles past, reaching a maximum elevation of 9700'. other than a wild turkey at 9000' on our way down, we were the only souls around the entire 24 mile run.
our training plan for transrockies includes several multi-day efforts attempting to mimic the discomfort and challenges we expect to experience during the race. we kept the pace comfortably slow yesterday, focusing simply on the cardiovascular benefits of running close to three hours above 8000' and not banging ourselves up too much that we risk hurting ourselves today. no matter how you go about a 24-miler, it's still a 24-miler...not a word was spoken the last 6 miles as mike and i had entered our happy (unhappy?) spot in our minds as the miles added up and the pain and discomfort of the 12 mile downhill built. but we'd accomplished what we set out to do, bruised but not battered and thankfull for the experience.
the recovery went well yesterday although i struggled to keep my eyes open during my physio appointment in the afternoon. mike and hit the coffee shop and hammered out some details for the race in august. there's more planning and logistics than i had expected...from accommodations before, after and one night during the race (we plan on ditching the tents after stage four and treating ourselves to a comfortable bed for one night), researching gear for the race (we're required to carry a waterproof jacket and pants, emergency foil blanket and hat and gloves at all times during the race), getting this race blog up and running, sending letters out seeking sponsors to help with the cost of the race ($2700 entry fee alone!), and talking about race strategy and nutrition.
in a bit here i'll meet mike for our 20-miler. we'll drop a car off at the base of mt elden, drive another car to the top and begin our run at 9300'. the plan is to run down 6-7 miles, run back up, then run down again for a total of 20 miles, 2400' descending and 1200' ascending. mike and i have both conditioned our weak quads to handle the downhills after 5 long runs into the grand canyon over the past several months but now that the canyon is too hot for our adventures we've had to find alternative methods of maintaining that muscle memory and not risk having our quads blow during the race.
i'm excited but a little apprehensive about the run this afternoon, recap to come...
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the subaru had the performance of the day, tackling a seriously gnarly "road" to the top of elden...whether the vehicle was going to make it back down the mountain was highly questionable at times. began the run with a trip to the radio tower...the barren landscape, hurricane winds and whirling dust created quite a lonely and isolated sensation. it wasn't the most pleasant run, legs felt rather dead, not particularly tired and not sore at all from yesterday, just off in a strange way. but we got it done, 20 miles in the bank.
good friends, good wine and good music tonight at the wine loft, the perfect reward after a solid two days of work.
our training plan for transrockies includes several multi-day efforts attempting to mimic the discomfort and challenges we expect to experience during the race. we kept the pace comfortably slow yesterday, focusing simply on the cardiovascular benefits of running close to three hours above 8000' and not banging ourselves up too much that we risk hurting ourselves today. no matter how you go about a 24-miler, it's still a 24-miler...not a word was spoken the last 6 miles as mike and i had entered our happy (unhappy?) spot in our minds as the miles added up and the pain and discomfort of the 12 mile downhill built. but we'd accomplished what we set out to do, bruised but not battered and thankfull for the experience.
the recovery went well yesterday although i struggled to keep my eyes open during my physio appointment in the afternoon. mike and hit the coffee shop and hammered out some details for the race in august. there's more planning and logistics than i had expected...from accommodations before, after and one night during the race (we plan on ditching the tents after stage four and treating ourselves to a comfortable bed for one night), researching gear for the race (we're required to carry a waterproof jacket and pants, emergency foil blanket and hat and gloves at all times during the race), getting this race blog up and running, sending letters out seeking sponsors to help with the cost of the race ($2700 entry fee alone!), and talking about race strategy and nutrition.
in a bit here i'll meet mike for our 20-miler. we'll drop a car off at the base of mt elden, drive another car to the top and begin our run at 9300'. the plan is to run down 6-7 miles, run back up, then run down again for a total of 20 miles, 2400' descending and 1200' ascending. mike and i have both conditioned our weak quads to handle the downhills after 5 long runs into the grand canyon over the past several months but now that the canyon is too hot for our adventures we've had to find alternative methods of maintaining that muscle memory and not risk having our quads blow during the race.
i'm excited but a little apprehensive about the run this afternoon, recap to come...
----------
the subaru had the performance of the day, tackling a seriously gnarly "road" to the top of elden...whether the vehicle was going to make it back down the mountain was highly questionable at times. began the run with a trip to the radio tower...the barren landscape, hurricane winds and whirling dust created quite a lonely and isolated sensation. it wasn't the most pleasant run, legs felt rather dead, not particularly tired and not sore at all from yesterday, just off in a strange way. but we got it done, 20 miles in the bank.
good friends, good wine and good music tonight at the wine loft, the perfect reward after a solid two days of work.
rob
the subaru getting it done!
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