The Pinchot Trail...a five hour run.....

 My quote of the week: Socrates

I've enjoyed this journey of endurance training. And, it really has been a journey. Similar to endurance hiking, I've never imagined all that my body can do, and as ya'll know, I REALLY enjoy challenging it. Kind of like climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro...I just never imagined I'd be here at all. Of course, this also means testing your soul as a chunk of endurance activity is mental, right? 

The greatest challenges I've experienced are not the ones I expected. I expected heat through the summer. I expected it to hurt. I expected sore muscles. I expected having challenges with finding time to fit runs in while still having a social life (it sure helped that I don't work much over the summer!)  I expected my injury to flare up and new injuries to happen. What I didn't expect was a hurricane, torrential rains and tropical storms! 

Labor day weekend, I decided to stay in town and get a long run in. (I also agreed to work, but I won't go there because WHO really works Labor Day???).  And, I wanted to spend time in Philly with special peeps. So, no kayaking and no backpacking. Instead, I took off for the Pinchot Trail. I've backpacked this trail, but in winter, so I was excited to explore it on a perfect summery day. Nevermind that it took me triple time to get there because of an accident, but it was also right after the hurricane. So, as you can imagine, the trails were a mess!  

With these long runs I need to defeat boredom and try different parks! I've realized the Zen for me is just being in the woods, not worrying about my time, and just exploring. THAT is the journey for me. So, here's my adventure:

Zero cars in the parking lot. Where is everyone?

Hmmmmm.... What do you think, outdoorsy friends.....Are these black bear tracks? Pretty cool to be running along and see them in the mud. Don't worry, mom, the bears are long gone!  :)

So, since i was running solo and this was a long run, I brought my water filter. Being a backpacker helps out life in so many ways. For example, if the hurricane were to impact my home, I have 2 tents (plus the new hammock!), sleeping bags, stoves, fuel, flashlights, headlamps. I felt PREPARED! So, the above picture was my water stop! This is also near where Julie (yup, the one who left me for Haiti) and I winter camped. 

And, HERE is what parts of the trail looked like. I'd be running happily along and get to this. Trying to keep my shoes dry (clearly, a fruitless idea!), I tried to forge around these. It worked. Briefly. Until got to a bog that looked dry and my shoe came up with 10 ounces of mud in it. Slosh. Thump. Slosh. Thump. Yup, that's what my running sounded like. Really bad for an OCD Professor.  Finally, my other foot 'slipped' off a rock and got wet too. At least they were even now.  :)

By the end of this run, I was not tired of running. I was tired of jumping! (yup, that was a link....go ahead, click on it...). Post-hurricane, the trail was full of debris. So, I was either going around, over, under or through thick detritus. My legs were torn apart. Again! (though this wasn't as bad as running through the stinging nettles recently at Heinz Wildlife Refuge!). So much for attempting nice runner legs! With all the foraging, this loop took me FOREVER. Five hours later (including the water filtering stop, food, potty breaks), I arrived back at the car. 

I also saw THIS on trail. Any guesses as to WHAT this is? 

What's next?

So, this race is QUICKY approaching. I'm not sure I'm ready. I missed my last LONG run since our 28.4 mile superhike/run was cancelled. Yup, due to tropical storms. My goal is really just to finish, keep my Zen view, and not worry about my time. Finishing is an accomplishment, right? Hmmmm...there is a time limit though; Guess I better go check that out!  :)

Gear Girl!

I forgot to mention my shoes on my last post about running in Maine. Well, I had JUST bought new running shoes for that trip. And, only brought one pair. A girl trusts her shoes to be able to do that. ZERO break-in time.  And, HERE they are:

Magic. I definitely recommend them! 

Salomon Women's xA Pro 3d Ultra 2 Trail Running Shoe Swamp/ Dark Titanium/ Light Mint

I'll write again before RACE DAY!!!!