Distance was 31.27 miles, time 6:16 (moving 5:27), elevation gain/loss 1,588 feet, avg. pace 12:02 (moving 10:28).
I hadn't had much luck running long recently, so I was careful to pick a good day and bring a ton of water and enough food. It was sunny all day and pushing 70 at times, but I drank like a fish and there was a nice breeze.
Past photos have emphasized the woods, so this time here's some water. The beach in the photo above was a dead-end running-wise; there was an inlet around to the left and I had to backtrack. The photo below is from the dam on the east side, which has sweeping views:
Below I'm looking back over the seemingly interminable dam. By "interminable" I mean just under two miles:
The second time around a freight train passed with -- had to be -- 150 cars of coal. Long. And only 3 engines were pushing all that; mind-boggling power.
This view is from over near the heron nesting area. The Great White Herons are so big at first I though they were boats, then my mind adjusted once they moved. This little overlook had an empty wine bottle last time I was here. Not a bad idea (except for leaving it there):
Some clouds just don't want to stay in line with the other clouds:
The woods are starting to fill in, yet there are still not a lot of flying insects. Very nice time of year here at the reservoir.
The camping areas in the middle -- and perhaps elsewhere in the park -- now have water flowing (most parks lock the pumps in the winter) so you can fill up. Going clockwise from the south lot, I hit this about mile 11. On the first lap I was able to do 16 miles on two bottles (I drank a lot at the car in between laps), but on the second, warmer, lap I was glad to fill up at the pump.
I filled the water bottles with Succeed! Ultra mix rather than pop a bunch of gels, and it worked well. I ate a PB&J sandwich and drank a bunch in between laps, knowing I'd be out in the hottest sun of the day. I was running easy, so digestion on-the-fly was not a problem.
No gear issues or physical issues other than being really tired and a bit achy.
I managed to keep the same slow but constant pace the entire 30 miles, which I was pretty happy with.
Dude, that's a solid run! You seem to stay steady and get stronger as the miles increase, but still taking time to take pictures and appreciate surroundings.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you think about racing lately, but I think you'd do well and enjoy it!
Obviously it took more effort to maintain pace as time went along, but it worked out as well as I could have hoped.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about races from time to time, but the logistics and $ always turn me off (although fees often contribute to worthy causes). Love the simplicity of just showing up for free on a perfect weather day -- and staying home on a crappy one. I'm not ruling it out though.
Awesome run man - way to knock that one down! We've only been to Chat once but it is nice to occasionally run around water here :) I go back and forth on the race thing, but certainly can wrap my head around your theory for the most part!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys.
ReplyDeleteHappyTrails - I'm definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum of runners from a race monster like JT.
Competition would have made that last 10 miles a lot more interesting and kept my mind off my legs.
Awesome! Congrats on a great run and cracking that 50k barrier. That is a damn long dam. I know...
ReplyDeleteChris - Thanks. On the dam at least there freight trains and sweeping views to distract me a bit. Nonetheless towards the end I could have used some ear buds for the phone.
ReplyDeleteP.S. ... but not to seem too negative :) Still a great run and a great feeling when I realized I was going to succeed.
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