Half Voyageur is only 5 weeks away and I am feeling a bit inadequate as far as long runs go. Since April I have managed several 15 - 16 milers but then I took a week off to go play in the woods - right when I should have been upping my mileage. So, will head out early tomorrow morning (into the cold - what the heck!?!) and run the Superior Hiking Trail from Jay Cooke State Park to my house, about 24 miles, give or take.
After looking over my water and supply carrying options I have decided to go with the trusty REI Half Dome that has been my running-to-work pack all winter and spring. It is capable of carrying my Camelback hydration bladder, spare clothes (did I mention the temperatures tomorrow? and now they are upping the chance of rain too), and some victuals as well. Fits close, doesn't bounce and has an honest to goodness hip belt. Is it the lightest thing around? No, but it is the best I have at hand.
In the past I have used a combination of a waist belt water bottle holder and the Camelback pack, but that leaves me with almost no cargo carrying capacity. I am thinking I will be dressing in layers as morning temps are predicted in the mid-thirties (frost warnings are abundant tonight) and it is supposed to hit the mid-to-upper 50's, though with a northeast wind (brr). Why yes, I do expect I will be out there long enough to see the twenty degree temperature swing ;-> Should take me around 5 hours to get home. But that will be 5 hours on some of the most beautiful trail in the area! Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning ;->
So, other than my long runs what have I been up to? Not much but work, and a couple of shorter runs. Tuesday I got in a nice jaunt around a local section of the SHT with a friend. We tried to include part of a mountain bike trail as well, but that was confusing! Wednesday I ran a quick 2.4 miles to my daughter's place prior to driving to the Cities. Thursday, after 4 hours sleep (Wayne, maybe I am ready for an Ultra!?!) and 9 hours of work I met a friend at a local ski trail. The plan was to run a nice 5k with him, then head out for another 30 minutes and get an hour run in that way. So much for best laid plans! We ended up running a fast (to me - almost my race pace) 5+k. When we got back to the parking lot I was ready to call it quits, but after saying good-bye and drinking lots of water (it was in the mid-70's, warmest day we have had in awhile) I decided to head out and finish out the hour. Of course, my intent was to run easy, but somehow that morphed into a run at 70+% of my max heart rate. Ended up running for a grand total of 1:15 ;->
Today, after Job A and Job B (last day of that until next fall) it was a mellow bike ride down Minnesota Point to Sky Harbor Airport where I dropped off my bike for some much needed TLC (I have connections ;->). Hopefully my legs are ready for tomorrows run!
Will be experimenting with some fueling options: along with the usual Clif Shot Blocks I picked up some Clif Energy Gels and packed some pretzels (they were key at last years Half Voyageur) and craisins. Will mix up some Ultima (since that is what they serve at the race) and have that along with plain water for drinking. Since I only have a 32 oz Camelback will need to stash water along the way. Last year labeled cooler hidden in the shrubbery along the trail at a road crossing worked well. Could replenish my water supply, drop any unneeded items and only required that I go back and gather up the cooler later in the day.
The nice thing about running the Superior Hiking Trail in Duluth is that there are plenty of trail heads and road crossings to use as water drops. I just need to do some math, figure out how much water I can/am willing to carry and go from there (and have my ride cooperate in depositing the supplies.
OKC (Obligatory Knitting Content:
Reworking the hat I made for my nephew back in March - it was not deep enough. Also working on a nice, simple, garter stitch wash cloth. Both are very relaxing projects. Finished the socks I had been working on for Mr. Wildknits and...
Finished the lace scarf intended for the SHTA Silent Auction a month ago. Now to block it and I can deliver it to the person who has offered to buy it (sight unseen) and donate the money to SHTA.
And just to prove I have not forgotten about my trip report a preview from Day 2:
Good luck to all the racers this weekend: Kettle Moraine 100 and FANS!!!
5 comments:
Five weeks to the Half V and 24 mi today sounds good to me, let us know how it went ! Nice moose pic, looking right at ya. Good luck to all racing tris this weekend too :-), new forecast is 44 at racetime with a lower chance of rain.
Sorry my son has my big head!
He doesn't! I underestimated as I do not have any handy 2 year olds around. Besides, I like knitting so it is relaxing to work on.
According to the 'Andy Hart school of running' you can go twice as far as you train. Just thought I'd throw that out there. :)
Wayne - my time will come, say in October ;->
I am not sure I agree with Andy's advice. It has backfired on me more than once, starting when I was 18.
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