Trail: 6.5 mile race on Saturday at Hutton-Loyd Tree Farm. 26 miles at Red River Gorge on Sunday
Easy: 2 runs for 20 miles.
Cycling: N/A
Total: 5 runs for 65 miles.
On Monday I went out for the second half of my back to back long run of 12 miles. It had been a while since I'd ran any mileage on the Legacy Trail so I opted to drive down there for the run. On the way to the trail, shortly after crossing some railroad tracks, my brake pedal went pretty soft. I pulled into the parking spot at the trail & felt a big pop in the brake pedal. Within an instant I had no brakes so had to jam the truck into park to get stopped. Pretty harrowing experience that could have been much worse. I then did what any runner would have done, I went for my run. Ended up doing a few miles on Legacy Trail then running back home. With a race on Saturday I skipped out on this weeks speed session & just did my runs at an easy pace.
On Saturday I drove up to the Hutton-Loyd Tree Farm in the northeastern part of the state for the Hot Hot Hundred 10k. I was fortunate to get in on a deal to run this race for a whole dollar. The event combines a 10k race & a 100k relay along trails around the farm. Beautiful course with some amazing views along the way & some seriously challenging hills! I'll leave the full details to the upcoming race review but needless to say I'm going to try to find a way to get this on my calendar for next year, maybe as part of a relay team.
Sunday's scheduled run is one I've been looking forward too ever since I put this training plan on paper. With a 50k on the calendar I could think of no better route than the one used for the Rough Trail Ultramarathon last year. Having packed everything needed for the outing Saturday night I woke up early so I could be on the trail at first light. It wasn't until about 20 minutes down the road that I realized I'd forgotten one very important item, my trail shoes! A quick 40 minute detour & I finally had everything needed. Once I arrived at RRG I swung by the Gray's Arch parking area to hide a gallon of water. I run by here twice on the route, once at 5.5 miles & again at 16, planning to fill up on water at the halfway point.
By 8am I was finally able to get going, starting from the parking lot of Koomer Ridge Campground. The first 6 miles links up the Koomer Ridge, Hidden Arch, Buck & Pinch-Em-Tight trails. This stretch is mostly flat with only one significant climb on Buck Trail. Upon arriving at Gray's Arch parking area the next 3 miles offer a chance to stretch the legs out as it is along Tunnel Ridge Rd.
After cruising down the gravel road the next 3 miles cover Auxier Ridge & Double Arch trails. Offering some absolutely stunning views & only the second significant climb of the run. Another 4 miles of gravel & I was back to Gray's for a fill up of fluids. This was my first outing with my Hydrapak 2L bladder & I've gotta say I love this thing. I still had fluid left after the first 16 so was certain a full bladder would last me the next 16 easily.
From here I went out Boone Hut & Rough to KY 77 & then back to the Rough/Gray's intersection. The climb from Boone/Rough to Grey/Rough is crazy steep & goes on forever. Really works the quads. This is just the beginning of the ascents as the route really back loads the climbing. The next 6 miles will have three more climbs.
Around the intersection of Rough/Rush Ridge I started developing a cramp in my left quad. I thought I'd been getting enough to drink but a quick pee stop told me that wasn't the case. I was at the orange juice level of dehydration, not a good place to be. I started trying to play catch up on fluids & starting feeling a bit better a couple of miles down trail. The downside was I'd drained most of my water. I made the call to cut the run short & remove the rough to Sky Bridge Rd out & back section.
On the last climb up Koomer Ridge I went for a drink & found my pack to be empty. This was about 2 miles from the campground & the cramps had returned in both legs. I had to death march the last 2 miles back to the car. The cramps & dehydration were just too much to allow much if any running.
All in all a great day out in the RRG with 26 miles & 4500ft of gain. From a gear check standpoint everything mostly worked great. I was able to stomach my homemade gels, the combo of my HF bladder/UD pack worked out & the Magellan/Glo/iPhone combo provided a reliable track. Some things didn't work out well. My Injinji trail socks don't seem to dry very well after a water crossing, basically remaining soaked the entire time. I might have to look at a lighter weight sock in the future, at least during the warmer months. I also need to find a way to either stash more water or carry more. Some salt tabs are on my list of items I should always have on me.
Just a taste of the views
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