A Big Week...

Sunday was my second 20+ miler of the week as final preparations are in full swing for next month's Chattooga 50k. This race is a tough one and the challenge this year is going to be in the knowing better... no longer do I have the advantages of ignorance.

In what would have to be considered a tradition now, I set out yesterday afternoon for my final long run for this particular race training segment on the Appalachian Trail at Watauga Lake and Hwy 321 in Tennessee. The plan was to run 3 hours at a steady effort, somewhere around 8 minute pace or whatever, just want to be on the feet on this undulating terrain.

So, setting the watch for 90 minutes I set out with my 44 ounces of water and various flavors of Gu. The initial miles to the Watauga Dam are very gentle and I was feeling comfy as I reached the first significant climbs of the day. Climbing the ridge away from the dam the trail is joined with asphalt which sometimes bakes you, this day though was cool and breezy. Soon I was back on the single track and heading back downhill toward the next trail head where the real work of the day awaited my arrival.

Laurel Gap starts with a prolonged climb which takes the patient version of my legs about 30 minutes to ascend before any significant break is allowed. The trail has been refurbished and is very runnable this year but by the last 5 minutes your heart and lungs have received the intended message from the land beneath you... get ready for some work.

Now that your legs have been softened by about 50 minutes of running the sense is that the rest of this out portion will be fairly gentle as the trail rolls over the ridges above Watauga Lake. It is beautiful in this area both far and near. Absolutely perfect Appalachian running scene, complete with the sneaky hills which begin so tame and lead to sharp inclines after snaking through thick rhododendron patches. 40 minutes of this attitude and I reach the shelter which is my turning point. I stumbled into the smoldering ashes of a dying fire ring and head back home.

Now I have put myself away from the car some 10 miles or more... unsure what mileage has to do with these hilly runs really. The numbers sounds and feel nice, but when you consider this particular day I listed my out time at 1:29+ and the in time at sub 60 minutes I have a hard time thinking that the first portion of the day was not physically longer somehow. I generally look at the average between the discrepant times and base mileage on that. So, somewhere around 20+ miles at 7:30 effort seems just about right. Last year this same run went down at 24 miles in my books because it took a full 30 minutes longer for the return trip.

The best part is that this year I was feeling better, fresher and my legs were almost unaffected by finishing this second 20+ run of the week capping off 75 miles in 7 days even with some speed work. The strategy to run fewer long efforts and more consistent day to day mileage seems to have helped to this point. I just hope for a good day come June 6th. A day where I am able to run patiently and enjoy the wilderness of the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River.

19 Miles and 2 Big Hills...

After the big hike this weekend (which was after the race this weekend) my hips and hamstrings were barking... just the time to run long. So, with Monday off from work and a nice overcast, autumn like day; I decided to go out for a few hours and log some miles. I started out in the shady village of Bethel, NC... the road nice and flat, easing along through cow pasture, tree farms and tobacco fields. I could feel the babble of the the brook as it would down through the valley on my right, only a stone's toss away.

I reach Philips Branch Rd. and had been curious about it's course so I turned onto the gravel one lane road. Quickly I had passed an old farmstead and was in the shade of the forest canopy. This meant that I was making my way away from the creek side and up toward the ridge above. Within a mile I was fully engorged in the stingily steep climb. I made a game out of guessing which course the road would take through the camouflaged knobs above. In these cases I always prepare to run to the highest point I can spot light, and then expect that is a false peak with another climb hiding beyond it. At 48 minutes I was at the top of the ridge and looking out towards Boone, NC. The blue hue of the distant ranges were special to see from the vantage point that the legs and lungs can only provide one step at a time.

Somewhere off Phillips Branch Rd.

Down the other side and cruising along a primitively paved road passing neighborhood dog gangs, benevolent yet curious they longed for my visit with anxious barking and swift running. I greeted the bravest pups and moved on down the road... thinking of my next move which would come with the next road junction.

Upon reaching Hwy 321 I made the left turn and proceeded into the sleepy town of Sugar Grove, NC. I was just shy of 90 minutes and guessing as to how far it was to the car from here if I were to make a loop. I had plenty of water, Nuun caps and Gu gel so it didn't really matter... I was just hoping it wouldn't be too short.

Passing by 'The Triangle' in Sugar Grove...

I contemplated keeping on towards Valle Crucis to run a loop back on the Watauga River Rd... but that seemed a little ambitious for today... mostly because of the climbs that would wait around mile 23; let's not get carried away accomplishing everything in one day. (Now I have a seed to grow in the back of the mind.)

So reaching the Cove Creek School I made a quick search for water, found none and set out and onward towards George's Gap.

Cove Creek School

Now I was at George's Gap and climbing gently for about 3 miles to the saddle. I used this elevation gain to push while a little tired and found that I was feeling very strong and swift as the hill fell behind in quick, flowing steps. I reached the top of George's Gap in 1:38 and knew that now I was only to glide downhill toward Bethel (to complete the loop I had formed) and then a few more miles to the car. All of the big climbing was gone and now it was just a matter of staying upright and forcing down liquids, mainly to become accustomed to the feeling of the sloshy stomach come race day.

The downhill was enjoyable and soon I had reached Phillips Branch Rd again. I had only 3 miles to go now and had just hit 2 hours. I settled in and focused on adding a little intensity, since the run was going to be short of three hours... does it compensate? Well, 2:30 seems sufficient with 3 long runs remaining and finishing with quickness and efficiency does seem worthwhile at this point, to know it is there when needed.

I reached the car and turned on the radio. The Sox were playing Chicago. They lost. I had a nice long nap and then Lynnea and I went to buy a new range at Lowe's. All in all a really pleasant day!

Mt. Le Conte (or La Can?)

After a bit of a drive and battling the traffic of Sevierville and Gatlinburg, TN I finally made it to the trail head for Alum Cave Bluffs for an ascent with Mt. Le Conte. The Smokies had just been draped over by a smearing of afternoon heavy mist adding a fair amount of water to the creek alongside the trail. The route began with a slight climb with a lot of flat recovery for the initial two miles. The climb became more serious soon with an abrupt rise away from the creek.


I was feeling really good despite the larger workload from this week. Allowing the climb to slip beneath me was liberating and soon the first climb was below me and I was able to take in a nice little view of the National Park. As the trail made its way upward I was taken into beautiful alpine forests with shear drops to the valley below. Negotiating the shale and the overrun in the trails from the earlier weather made the trip even more enjoyable. At many points the route was inundating by uphill waterfalls.

The water level increased as the climb grew higher and higher. Meanwhile the temperature was dropping as the air thinned up around 6000 ft. eventually leading up to 6,593 feet. Since the trail begins near the top of the Smoky Mountain Parkway, this is slightly deceiving... not a monster of a climb over the 6 or so miles where I decided to turn.



I LOVE summits such as this one. No visual explosion. This is the type of goal which reinforces the concept of the journey being most important. I added a small stone somewhere on the base of this rock mound, touched a pebble on the very top of the pile with my finger and turned back toward the trail head. Ready for a nice long, patient cruise to the car. My goal was to run an even split.

With this mindset I was able to stop and enjoy some of the open views so rare in the southeastern mountains. It was striking to take in the folds in the Earth from such a vantage point. Remembering the work it required to get to this point in this run and in a macro sense the work to get to this point in my life, my running.

The rest of the night was spent in ballparks and bars. Eating Polish Sausage, drinking something cold and falling asleep without a care in the world.