Date: September 1, 2018
Distance 15 miles
Purpose: final tune up run for the body and mind prior to
the Big Day
I have never once written a blog immediately after a run. I
have always come home from a run, and immediately re-hydrated and started on
other chores or activities for the day. I usually have written about my runs
days, even weeks, later. Until today. I concluded my run 8 minutes ago. Right
now, the heart rate is still up, the shirt is still wet with sweat, and I’m
still smelly (as evidenced that the wife won’t hug me until I’m cleaned up,
which is probably wise on her part). I’m happy that I can write of my
experience right after the run when the experience is still fresh in my mind.
With the calendar flipping from August to September today, I
am officially on the home stretch of training: 6 days until race day! As with
my marathon training, I like to do confidence building medium to long-runs
towards the end of the training schedule. I’ve had some high’s and low’s in
training for the Wasatch this summer. I’ve had falls and trips, peaks and
valleys. I’ve experimented with
different nutrition ideas, hydration ideas, gear ideas, and running loop ideas.
I certainly don’t have it all figured out for the Wasatch in less than a week.
But I have begun to solidify what I think works for me and what doesn’t. Today I wanted to put it all together.
Specifically, I wanted to practice running 7-8 minute miles. I wanted to start
running at 5:00 am without a headlamp and “run into the dawn”, which was around
6:20 am this morning. I wanted to start
cold and run myself warm. I wanted to practice eating every 30 minutes and
drinking every mile.
Essentially, I wanted to firm up all my good trail running
habits, and exorcise my bad ones, prior to the Wasatch 100 in 6 short days.
Hugh’s Canyon is a relatively unknown drainage off the front
range of the Mount Olympus massif. It starts in Canyon Cove subdivision with a
well-worn trail, leading up to a waterfall and beautiful campsite, about 1 mile
up. It ultimately ends at the saddle of Mount Olympus South Peak, although I’ve
never gone that way (and have always wanted the time and gumption to explore
it). We went there as a family back in May. The water was gushing over the
cliff then as winter’s snow pack run-off had just started. My little angel
named Avi loves giving things her own nicknames when she speaks in her own patented
language called “Nania Language”. So instead of calling this waterfall Hugh’s
Waterfall, she chose to call it after the only “Hugh” she seemed to remember,
going with Hugh Jackman’s Waterfall. She must have a crush on the movie star
Hugh Jackman, just like her Mom does.
It was gorgeous running from black night to shades of gray
to shades of yellow, as dawn approached. I love running into daylight! Unlike
back in May, today the waterfall was just a trickle, fed only by a native
spring further up canyon. The hidden cove the waterfall creates is still
intimate and gorgeous, with moss-strewn rocks, misty air, and lots of fun
boulder hopping to do to enter the cove. This morning it served as a great
turn-around point and water bottle fill-up point. I have never once filtered
water during my runs in the Wasatch. Friends think that is foolish. They
promise me it is only a matter of time before I get a bad bug that could cause
the flu – or something even worse. I should probably carry a portable filter
with me, but am so worried about extra weight in my fanny pack that I never have
bothered. For now, I try to find the clearest running and clearest looking
streams possible. I try to be selective with when and where I get my water. I
haven’t gotten sick in 30 years of following this practice, so I think I have
some good immunities by now. Or I’m just very lucky.
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