|
|
Events:Stone Cat 50 Mile Trail Race November 6, 2010 Middlesex Fells Trail Race December 4, 2010 AMC Mountaineering Committee Ice Program Winter 2011 AMC Mountaineering Committee Rock Program Spring 2011 Pictures:AlbumRunning Data:20102009 2008 |
Sat, 15 May 2010
20 Miles to Re-Learn Some Lessons
I'm finally starting to train for the Vermont 100. Six months ago twenty miles would have been no big deal, but having run barely at all during the winter, I came away surprised at how hard 20 could be and wondering what 100 will be like. Every run, good or bad, teaches something, and today I relearned a lot. In order to leave the car with my family I ran on roads to the Middlesex Fells, before starting my loop there. View Fells Run May 15, 2010 in a larger map I started off after a cup of coffee heading toward the Goodyear Ave entrance to the Fells. It was my privilege to run through Gary Matthews' beloved Everett de Janeiro on my way. I had about 70 oz of water (with electrolytes and maltodextrine) and some energy bars as well as a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I planned to start slow and take ultra-style walk breaks every 2 miles, but the first few miles felt too easy so I ran throught the breaks and ran faster than I had intended. The Eastern Fells features an initial steep climb. That was fine until my gluteus medias (a muscle between the butt and lower back) started aching severely. I sat, stretched and walked for a few minutes and was ready to run again soon. My small scrap of map covered only the Western Fells, and I was soon off-course and without a useful map. I promised myself this would never happen when a friend broke her ankle running in the Fells with us in February 2009. But nevertheless, here I was: mildly lost and mapless. It was early enought that I was able to reach the first road by running away from the sun. Following the road South about a quarter mile got me back to the Cross-Fells Trail. This took me over to the Western Fells where I was soon lost in the magic of the location in mid-May. A deer ran across the trail 20 feet ahead of me. I was reminded that in the myths of my ancestors a deer in the woods would often lead a person to the Otherworld. My immediate thought after that was that I should pay more attention to the brush I was running near. Mid-May is peak season for deer tick nymphs, the chief vector for Lyme Disease. I have no desire to spend another summer laid out with that. The result of all of this deer rumination was that I missed a turn and for the next hour sampled all of the trails of the Southwest Fells. Eventually I found the Reservoir Trail and headed to the North, getting lost only one more time. After ten miles I enjoyed my sandwich and pointed myself home. After about 16 miles my quads went into spasm, and I had to stretch and walk for longer periods. When I was finally back on the streets of Everet, I ran into my former student, Rich Buzderewicz who was walking back to Chelsea after coaching a T-ball game. All in all, I was out for 4 and a half hours, covered over 20 miles, and relearned a lot about trail running. Next time I'll try it at night. |
