From the bottomland hardwoods of Louisiana to the mountain trails of the American West and every trail in between. A blog of trail running, training, racing, inspirations, and my journey to achieve trail running greatness.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Roan Mountain Photos
As promised here are some photos I took while running on Roan Mountain. All of these were taken with the camera on my phone. Enjoy. As I said earlier these photos do not do it justice!
Northeast Tennessee Spring Break
After running Forge Racing's Faint of Hear 4 miler this past Saturday, I caught a plane bound for northeast Tennessee. Maureen recently accepted a nice job up here, she is the new Nursery Crop Specialist Extension Agent for a thirty-three county area, basically the northeastern third of the state. I have been really looking forward to this trip because I would be visiting for more than just a day.
Sunday (04/13): 9 miles
Since we both had the day off we headed up to Bays Mountain Park north of Kingsport. We both planned to run for an hour or more and would be sticking together for a while before I would take off to get some extra distance in. I loved the park because it was a mix of both rough gravel roads and single track trail, don't get me wrong, I love single track but sometimes you just want to open it up. After we split I did exactly that but quickly realized I was pretty tired for yesterday's hard effort at the race. Most of the trails circle a large reservoir but some of them run the ridges of the surrounding mountains. Starting at the lake, I turned onto Fire Tower Trail to discover it went up and up, but that's what I'm here for right? It was here that I realized how tired I am and how much work I have to do before USMR Championships. Other than being completely exhausted, the gravel road on the mountain ridge was quite enjoyable with nice views on every side. Eventually, I dropped into Chestnust trail which was amazing, immaculate single track running relatively flat mid way up the mountain. The trail was just too nice to not run fast, so I dropped the hammer and started running mid to low 6s. Sometimes I just can't help myself. While tired, I was really satisfied with the afternoon. After running, we had a picnic by the lake then went hiking and did some bouldering together.
Monday (04/14): 10 miles
Maureen had to work this morning so after dropping her off, I went to Persimmon Ridge to get in a few miles. Frankly, Persimmon Ridge is pretty boring and sketchy because part of the trail runs behind a berm for a shooting range. Still, its not terrible and is a great introduction for the mountains as its a mix of gravel road and pretty easy single track. Not to mention lots of wildflowers and native orchids! I planned on three loops but was really tired, so I settled for two loops with some fartlek intervals (minute on minute rest) on the uphills and gravel roads. That afternoon we headed to Buffalo Mountain Park. I really loved the trails here because they were steep and dangerous with steep drop offs on either side. I regretted not bringing the camera to get some pictures so I'll have to go back. We found a really steep and technical mile long downhill that I just had to bomb even though we were supposed to be running together today. In the process, I tweaked the same ankle that I hurt at Faint of Heart, not a sprain or roll but just enough to make me feel it every step but the rush of running a technical downhill fast and slightly out of control is just too good to pass up!
Tuesday (04/15): Day off.
Wednesday (04/16): 12 miles
Originally, I had planned to run Roan Mt. on Tuesday as I would be in the area already but we were hit with lots of rain and really cold weather that I didn't bring gear for. The higher elevations got plenty of snow and sleet with temperatures hitting twenty-one degrees at 3000ft. After I dropped Maureen off at work, I headed to Roan. Initially, I was a little upset as there was no clear trail from bottom to summit like there is at Pikes Peak. So, I drove up to Carver's Gap (~5600ft) and got on the Appalachian Trail for some higher altitude running. It was pretty surreal running on the AT. Plus, the scenery was amazing, lots of snow and ice everywhere! Words, nor will my pictures do it justice. I choose to run in the balds to the left of the trail head as they offered better views. Balds are an interesting ecosystem, it is basically an alpine grassland with very sparse tree cover. After running the ridges on Roan, I ran a section of the AT that started dropping in elevation pretty quickly. This section of the trail was covered with thick mud, after falling on a steep downhill, I was covered in it. I continued running down for almost an hour when I realized that I had to run back up through the mud! After stopping to eat some shot blocks, I started the return. Slipping and sliding all over the place I finally made it back up in nearly the same time I went down. Today was a reminder of why I run and why I run trails, while its definitely not the highest mountain I've ever run it was still special. Every mountain is unique and challenging in different ways, but they all humble and inspire. (Note on pictures: These are but a few, I'll do a separate post with nothing but photos from Roan.)
Thursday (04/17): 6 miles
Unfortunately, it was time for us to start heading back to Louisiana so we thought a quick run in Knoxville would be appropriate. First, we stopped at the Knoxville Botanical Garden then headed to Haw Ridge to hit some trails. Haw Ridge was highly recommend to us by Jeff Beck. Maureen had previously ran there and also enjoyed it. The trails were very maintained and we initially ran around the lake which was flat and very welcoming after a long week on rugged terrain in the mountains. This section of the trail was beautiful with the trail winding along the edge of the water. After some time we turned and started running into the the interior of the park which quickly turned hilly. I was very impressed with Maureen's running, her seven weeks living and running in the mountains has turned her into a stronger and faster runner as she was able to hang with me for an hour. The only problem we had with Haw Ridge was a lack of trail markings. In Louisiana, you typically only have one option and at most of the places we ran this week you have lots of trails to choose from in one park so it can get a little confusing.
Friday (04/18): Day off
Saturday (04/19): 8 miles
Ran an easy eight miler on the flat at the sports park. My shins and legs needed a break from all the big hills and mountains. All in all really happy with the week. I would have liked to run more but I'm supposed to be creeping back into my usual mileage and some parts of my legs aren't agreeing with this; however, in due time I'll be back to where I was before. In the meantime, I will keep the mileage around 40-50 miles a week but focus on doing quality speed work.
Weekly Total: 45 miles
Sunday (04/13): 9 miles
Since we both had the day off we headed up to Bays Mountain Park north of Kingsport. We both planned to run for an hour or more and would be sticking together for a while before I would take off to get some extra distance in. I loved the park because it was a mix of both rough gravel roads and single track trail, don't get me wrong, I love single track but sometimes you just want to open it up. After we split I did exactly that but quickly realized I was pretty tired for yesterday's hard effort at the race. Most of the trails circle a large reservoir but some of them run the ridges of the surrounding mountains. Starting at the lake, I turned onto Fire Tower Trail to discover it went up and up, but that's what I'm here for right? It was here that I realized how tired I am and how much work I have to do before USMR Championships. Other than being completely exhausted, the gravel road on the mountain ridge was quite enjoyable with nice views on every side. Eventually, I dropped into Chestnust trail which was amazing, immaculate single track running relatively flat mid way up the mountain. The trail was just too nice to not run fast, so I dropped the hammer and started running mid to low 6s. Sometimes I just can't help myself. While tired, I was really satisfied with the afternoon. After running, we had a picnic by the lake then went hiking and did some bouldering together.
Monday (04/14): 10 miles
Maureen had to work this morning so after dropping her off, I went to Persimmon Ridge to get in a few miles. Frankly, Persimmon Ridge is pretty boring and sketchy because part of the trail runs behind a berm for a shooting range. Still, its not terrible and is a great introduction for the mountains as its a mix of gravel road and pretty easy single track. Not to mention lots of wildflowers and native orchids! I planned on three loops but was really tired, so I settled for two loops with some fartlek intervals (minute on minute rest) on the uphills and gravel roads. That afternoon we headed to Buffalo Mountain Park. I really loved the trails here because they were steep and dangerous with steep drop offs on either side. I regretted not bringing the camera to get some pictures so I'll have to go back. We found a really steep and technical mile long downhill that I just had to bomb even though we were supposed to be running together today. In the process, I tweaked the same ankle that I hurt at Faint of Heart, not a sprain or roll but just enough to make me feel it every step but the rush of running a technical downhill fast and slightly out of control is just too good to pass up!
Tuesday (04/15): Day off.
Wednesday (04/16): 12 miles
Originally, I had planned to run Roan Mt. on Tuesday as I would be in the area already but we were hit with lots of rain and really cold weather that I didn't bring gear for. The higher elevations got plenty of snow and sleet with temperatures hitting twenty-one degrees at 3000ft. After I dropped Maureen off at work, I headed to Roan. Initially, I was a little upset as there was no clear trail from bottom to summit like there is at Pikes Peak. So, I drove up to Carver's Gap (~5600ft) and got on the Appalachian Trail for some higher altitude running. It was pretty surreal running on the AT. Plus, the scenery was amazing, lots of snow and ice everywhere! Words, nor will my pictures do it justice. I choose to run in the balds to the left of the trail head as they offered better views. Balds are an interesting ecosystem, it is basically an alpine grassland with very sparse tree cover. After running the ridges on Roan, I ran a section of the AT that started dropping in elevation pretty quickly. This section of the trail was covered with thick mud, after falling on a steep downhill, I was covered in it. I continued running down for almost an hour when I realized that I had to run back up through the mud! After stopping to eat some shot blocks, I started the return. Slipping and sliding all over the place I finally made it back up in nearly the same time I went down. Today was a reminder of why I run and why I run trails, while its definitely not the highest mountain I've ever run it was still special. Every mountain is unique and challenging in different ways, but they all humble and inspire. (Note on pictures: These are but a few, I'll do a separate post with nothing but photos from Roan.)
Thursday (04/17): 6 miles
Unfortunately, it was time for us to start heading back to Louisiana so we thought a quick run in Knoxville would be appropriate. First, we stopped at the Knoxville Botanical Garden then headed to Haw Ridge to hit some trails. Haw Ridge was highly recommend to us by Jeff Beck. Maureen had previously ran there and also enjoyed it. The trails were very maintained and we initially ran around the lake which was flat and very welcoming after a long week on rugged terrain in the mountains. This section of the trail was beautiful with the trail winding along the edge of the water. After some time we turned and started running into the the interior of the park which quickly turned hilly. I was very impressed with Maureen's running, her seven weeks living and running in the mountains has turned her into a stronger and faster runner as she was able to hang with me for an hour. The only problem we had with Haw Ridge was a lack of trail markings. In Louisiana, you typically only have one option and at most of the places we ran this week you have lots of trails to choose from in one park so it can get a little confusing.
Friday (04/18): Day off
Saturday (04/19): 8 miles
Ran an easy eight miler on the flat at the sports park. My shins and legs needed a break from all the big hills and mountains. All in all really happy with the week. I would have liked to run more but I'm supposed to be creeping back into my usual mileage and some parts of my legs aren't agreeing with this; however, in due time I'll be back to where I was before. In the meantime, I will keep the mileage around 40-50 miles a week but focus on doing quality speed work.
Weekly Total: 45 miles
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Training Weeks (03/31-04/12) and Forge Racing Faint of Heart 4 Miler
So things are finally returning to normal; however, I plan to keep my weekly mileage pretty low until May then I'll start hitting it hard before USMRT. Now, I'm just happy to be able to run consistently, here is my breakdown for the past two weeks with a quick review of the Faint of Heart.
Monday (03/31): 8 miles
Two mile warm-up with four mile progression (tempo) run, followed with a two mile cool-down. Struggled to hit lows 6s during the tempo. Really, felt like I lost some fitness.
Tuesday (04/01): 4 miles
Ran an easy four, followed with my barefoot drills and exercises then core workout at home.
Wednesday (04/02): 7 miles
Thought I would get some speed work in so I did a two mile warm-up then 4X800, (Average 2:39), these felt awful. Then two mile cool down. Goal was to shock my system, definitely achieved that but was a disappointment because it hurt so much and the times were so slow.
Thursday (04/03): 5 miles
Easy five, with barefoot drills, exercises, and strides with a core workout at home.
Friday (04/04): 4 miles
Only four miles and some strides. My body needed the rest.
Saturday (04/05): 12 miles
Twelve miles on the Beast in a moderate 1:52.
Weekly Total: 40 miles
Monday (04/07): 10 miles
Had speed work on the schedule but decided on a tempo instead. Ran the first mile slowly then felt good so I dropped the pace to 6:30 for the next seven miles. Two mile cool-down. Was really happy with this workout, I ran negative splits and ran very controlled. I felt like I could have run faster but figured slower was better with an upcoming race. Plus, I should be able to recover from a 6:30 pace quicker than running sub 6s. No knee pain or shin pain.
Tuesday (04/08): 4 miles
Just an easy four and some strides. No barefoot or core.
Wednesday (04/09): 10 miles
Ran two loops at Hooper with the Ales n Trails group. Noticed some shin pain, only when running slow though.
Thursday (04/10): 6 miles
Felt pretty good, so I picked the pace up a little but nothing too fast. No shin or knee pain either.
Friday (04/11): Day off, LSU Horticulture Club Crawfish Boil!!
Saturday (04/12): Short warm-up, four mile race, then three mile cool-down.
Weekly Total: 37 miles
Forge Racing Faint of Heart 4 Miler
I was really looking forward to this race because it is so close to my house. If you have never been to Clark's Creek, you really need to get out there. Not only are there gorgeous waterfalls but there is a tough primitive trail as well, boasting almost 4000 ft of elevation change in 4.5 miles! For the south that is crazy! I wasn't thrilled about the 7:30 am start but it turned out to be a good thing as we didn't have to share the trail with pedestrians or hikers. The weather was foggy and humid but wasn't really hot, basically perfect spring Louisiana weather. The start was fast as it was a long downhill on the gravel road to the trail, I used this opportunity to put space between everyone and myself because some sections of the trail I didn't want to deal with groups of people running really close. My race plan was pretty simple, just run away from everyone then try to out kick anybody left hanging on over the last long uphill finish. The latter I wouldn't have to worry about as I put plenty of distance between myself and second place. I was still running scared the whole time, as I swore I heard voices or splashing in the creek crossings because of this I continued to run hard trying to put hills between my opponents and myself. Unfortunately, about halfway through I felt like puking, which lingered for the remaining of the race. The trail was marked incredibly well for a Forge race and not once did I have to worry about getting lost. The only part I didn't enjoy was a stair set going up a waterfall, but other than that, it was great. Normally, the primitive trail dumps you out on the main gravel trail which we run back up to the parking lot; however, the race director chose to drop us back into the creek and run up the creek until we returned to the same spot where we initially entered. This was great because it was flat and skipped a few small but steep uphill sections that we normally have to run. The finish is about a half-mile long uphill that is very steep which destroys everyone, I was very thankful to have no one near me because I was on the verge of barfing. All in all, I was pleased with my time, even though I felt like I could have ran a minute or two faster if my stomach wasn't killing me. I think it was the combination of hard running and too much boiled crawfish the night before. As always Jeff and Brenton did an excellent job with this race, so far it has been my favorite one and was truly a trail race! Great job guys! I hope everyone enjoyed it and is inspired by the tough terrain to return!
Monday (03/31): 8 miles
Two mile warm-up with four mile progression (tempo) run, followed with a two mile cool-down. Struggled to hit lows 6s during the tempo. Really, felt like I lost some fitness.
Tuesday (04/01): 4 miles
Ran an easy four, followed with my barefoot drills and exercises then core workout at home.
Wednesday (04/02): 7 miles
Thought I would get some speed work in so I did a two mile warm-up then 4X800, (Average 2:39), these felt awful. Then two mile cool down. Goal was to shock my system, definitely achieved that but was a disappointment because it hurt so much and the times were so slow.
Thursday (04/03): 5 miles
Easy five, with barefoot drills, exercises, and strides with a core workout at home.
Friday (04/04): 4 miles
Only four miles and some strides. My body needed the rest.
Saturday (04/05): 12 miles
Twelve miles on the Beast in a moderate 1:52.
Weekly Total: 40 miles
Monday (04/07): 10 miles
Had speed work on the schedule but decided on a tempo instead. Ran the first mile slowly then felt good so I dropped the pace to 6:30 for the next seven miles. Two mile cool-down. Was really happy with this workout, I ran negative splits and ran very controlled. I felt like I could have run faster but figured slower was better with an upcoming race. Plus, I should be able to recover from a 6:30 pace quicker than running sub 6s. No knee pain or shin pain.
Tuesday (04/08): 4 miles
Just an easy four and some strides. No barefoot or core.
Wednesday (04/09): 10 miles
Ran two loops at Hooper with the Ales n Trails group. Noticed some shin pain, only when running slow though.
Thursday (04/10): 6 miles
Felt pretty good, so I picked the pace up a little but nothing too fast. No shin or knee pain either.
Friday (04/11): Day off, LSU Horticulture Club Crawfish Boil!!
Saturday (04/12): Short warm-up, four mile race, then three mile cool-down.
Weekly Total: 37 miles
Forge Racing Faint of Heart 4 Miler
I was really looking forward to this race because it is so close to my house. If you have never been to Clark's Creek, you really need to get out there. Not only are there gorgeous waterfalls but there is a tough primitive trail as well, boasting almost 4000 ft of elevation change in 4.5 miles! For the south that is crazy! I wasn't thrilled about the 7:30 am start but it turned out to be a good thing as we didn't have to share the trail with pedestrians or hikers. The weather was foggy and humid but wasn't really hot, basically perfect spring Louisiana weather. The start was fast as it was a long downhill on the gravel road to the trail, I used this opportunity to put space between everyone and myself because some sections of the trail I didn't want to deal with groups of people running really close. My race plan was pretty simple, just run away from everyone then try to out kick anybody left hanging on over the last long uphill finish. The latter I wouldn't have to worry about as I put plenty of distance between myself and second place. I was still running scared the whole time, as I swore I heard voices or splashing in the creek crossings because of this I continued to run hard trying to put hills between my opponents and myself. Unfortunately, about halfway through I felt like puking, which lingered for the remaining of the race. The trail was marked incredibly well for a Forge race and not once did I have to worry about getting lost. The only part I didn't enjoy was a stair set going up a waterfall, but other than that, it was great. Normally, the primitive trail dumps you out on the main gravel trail which we run back up to the parking lot; however, the race director chose to drop us back into the creek and run up the creek until we returned to the same spot where we initially entered. This was great because it was flat and skipped a few small but steep uphill sections that we normally have to run. The finish is about a half-mile long uphill that is very steep which destroys everyone, I was very thankful to have no one near me because I was on the verge of barfing. All in all, I was pleased with my time, even though I felt like I could have ran a minute or two faster if my stomach wasn't killing me. I think it was the combination of hard running and too much boiled crawfish the night before. As always Jeff and Brenton did an excellent job with this race, so far it has been my favorite one and was truly a trail race! Great job guys! I hope everyone enjoyed it and is inspired by the tough terrain to return!
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| Running through the creek to the finish. Photo: Cassie Cassidy |
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