Oh man, today was a true bluebird day, just without the snow.
Bryan Estes and I got out for a lap around Tiger Mountain and the trail conditions were just outstanding. Out-f'ing-standing.
If only my mood matched the weather and trail conditions. I was feeling much better but still feeling the after effects of my meltdown yesterday. Oh well, it's getting better. Lucky for me Bryan LOVES to talk and he chatted me up one side of Tiger and down the other. But in a good way. We talked about running (just a little), the local tech start-up scene, various technologies, how smart phones are changing our lives, what makes a good baby stroller, how not to pee on your bottle and all kinds of things I can't recall anymore. I gotta say, it's great to run with someone that has the same interests!
I started out in front and was feeling okay but then as the climb got serious I faded. Bryan took over the lead and suddenly I was hiking. Darn. Towards the top I had to hike an extended stretch but managed to summit just about one minute behind Bryan. Whew.
At the top he was standing on a wood bench soaking in the view and I had to do a couple of pirouettes to take it all in myself.
On the way down I started to feel better right away. Probably because it was downhill. :) Lucky for me Bryan did not have an agenda so we just cruised back to the car at a comfortable pace and I enjoyed every bit. And on the 'bumps' you encounter while descending I had no issues so I think I really was feeling better the second half.
We passed a ton of hikers going up the trail on our way down. It's always a nice feeling to be finishing when others are starting. :) We also passed a couple of guys going the other direction. Twice. They must have done the same loop just in the other direction.
As we descended it slowly got warmer and warmer. Combine that with perfect trail conditions (damp but not slick), the peak of the falling leaf season and rays of sun through the trees and I was loving it. LOVING IT.
ASIDE - I have been noticing that my joints are adapting to running. I wore relatively thin shoes today and my knees/feet feel fine. In general, I am much less sore after running than ever before. I guess that's a good sign. Previously, even if I had the fitness to do the distance I would be laid out for days after a long outing from the impact.
ANOTHER ASIDE - even though I felt like we were going slow, our time was pretty normal. Just a couple of minutes slower than a pace that feels aggressive. It's going to be interesting to see what I can do these routes in when I actually try to go hard this spring.
Thanks for the company Bryan!
| Sleep | 6 |
| Waking HR | |
| Body Weight | |
| Body Fat | |
| Breakfast | 6:15 AM - 2 bananas, almond butter, tea |
| Lunch | |
| Dinner | |
| Workout Food | 1 bottles each w/1 scoop HEED and 1 tablet Nuun, 3 gels |
| Injuries | |
| Therapy | |
| Time of Day | 7:30 AM |
| Workout Type | endurance |
| Weather | low 30s to 40, clear, sunny, dry, calm |
| Course | Basically up to the summit and then down to the car. All singetrack until the last two miles which are doubletrack. |
| Results | |
| Time | |
| Distance | |
| Pace | |
| Equipment | hand-held bottles, Brooks PureGrit |
| Clothing | Teko organic SIN3RGI Light Minicrew, Brooks Infinity Short III, Craft short sleeve undershirt, SmartWool long sleeve shirt, SmartWool hat, Patagonia gloves |
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