Oh man... today I asked for it and I got it.
Justin Angle was in town and fortunately for me we were able to connect for a run. It was great to catch up and it always makes me smile when I think about just how much talking goes on while running.
I was hoping for snow when we set out. And I got it. I also got slush, cold wind, frozen hands, legs that were so stiff I was not sure if I could get my foot back under me if I stumbled and beet red legs. And you know what? I had a blast! Good company makes all the difference. Big time.
Of course it would have been an entirely different story if I had not dressed as warm as I did or fallen but hey, I did and I didn't so there.
We started out and right away I felt better than my previous two runs in Las Vegas so that was fantastic. The plan was not to push the pace but rather to enjoy the day and catch up. We talked and climbed and I kept expecting/hoping for snow but it didn't materialize until we were at least half way up the mountain. When we finally saw some snow I realized why, it was really mushy and obviously the day was not cold enough to bring the snow down low.
We slopped up through the slush and as usual I tried to keep my feet dry until it was futile. :)
With about one mile to go the snow got deeper and as we got to the first summit it was almost a foot. Up here Justin started to get cold. I think he was only wearing a short sleeve undershirt and a super thin long sleeve shell (plus hat and gloves) but we were both soaked with sweat and I was wearing more insulation for sure.
Jogging down to the base of the second summit was fun! We were cruising through about 8" of snow and it was so soft to land in. As we started up the second summit it was also fun at first but then the snow got really deep and we couldn't jog and were postholing through at least one foot of very firm white stuff.
At the top is a metal storm shelter and there were fresh tracks outside and voices inside. I jogged past but Justin peeked inside and once we were out of earshot he reported some 'extra-curricular' activities going on in the hut. It's always entertaining to see the lengths people will go to just to 'party' out of sight of the general public.
Heading down it got cold. We were plunging through almost a foot of snow and I'm sure it was one of those scenes that would have looked totally ridiculous to the non-trail runner. Hell, to almost anyone. Here were two guys in (short) shorts, short socks, running shoes and not much else prancing through the snow and the temperature was in the mid 30s. Did I mention our legs were beet red?
As we descended the snow got wetter and wetter and my feel got colder and colder. My legs were also getting super stiff. The cold was making them incredibly sluggish and slow to respond. At least my core stayed warm all day. My feet and hands especially not so much. I tried to eat a gel on the way down and it took way too long to get that packet open and all of the liquid into my mouth.
But I was still having fun! I think that sometimes the ridiculousness of the situation can make it more entertaining which in turn makes it bearable. Enjoyable even.
When we finally got out of the snow it did warm up some and then my hands and legs followed suit. Luckily my feet were never that bad. Looking at my GPS data below the last mile was not slow which is a testament to my feeling fairly good. The overall time was my slowest on this route but the finish might have been my fastest? I guess the cold didn't shut me down, it just slowed me down.
After the run we hit PCC for some hot drinks and food. Nice. I am so glad I usually pack a dry change of clothes in the car for after. Today was a good day.
| Sleep | 7 |
| Waking HR | |
| Body Weight | |
| Body Fat | |
| Breakfast | 6:30 AM - apple sauce, banana, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 scoop Perpetuem, tea |
| Lunch | |
| Dinner | |
| Workout Food | 2 bottles each w/1 scoop HEED and 1 tablet Nuun, 3 GUs |
| Injuries | |
| Therapy | |
| Time of Day | 8:30 AM |
| Workout Type | endurance |
| Weather | low 40s, sporadic light rain, light snow at the top |
| Course | wet trails, light snow about half way up, over 12" of snow at the top |
| Results | |
| Time | |
| Distance | |
| Pace | |
| Equipment | Brooks Cascadia 7, hand-held bottles |
| Clothing | Teko organic SIN3RGI Light Minicrew, Brooks Infinity Short III, Craft Active Classic Short Sleeve Baselayer, SmartWool NTS Micro 150 Zip T, Patagonia Capilene 4 Expedition Weight Beanie, Patagonia Capilene gloves |
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