View Workout (Joe Uhan)

Return to Log

Ashland big run

February 25, 2012 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
Had a leisurely morning, which was nice. Got out the door around 930: myself, Tim, Britt and Jenn Shelton. The plan was to run a 30-mile trail run with, according to Tim, about ~7K vert. I was a bit leery, simply because I hadn't gone over 3hr for a long run in a NON-race since October, and I was feeling tired.

Started easy but we were climbing immediately out of Tim's hill-side neighborhood. Got on a canal trail which was nice. Tim kept it really easy for Britt's (and my) benefit. A couple little hills, then Britt turned back before the climb to "4 corners".

Felt NOT very good in those first couple hours -- the climb to 4 corners, then a 2nd climb to what seemed to be the southern terminus of the run. Fun to run with Tim and Jenn, though. On our backtrack we got on a smaller, rugged trail that turned into a bit of a bushwack, which was fun. Jenn turned back before then, so it was just the two of us.

Had some good chats about ultras and WS, including our formative experiences at WS '10, which was cool.

Took only a gel and <16oz water into the first 3hrs, then we stopped at the reservoir for a water fill. Took another gel there. I felt tired, but OK, so 18mi in, we went for it again, "a lot of climbing", Tim says.

Up through the neighborhoods on Granite St, then a massive climb up Ostrich Mtn. Wow, big climb. BIG. Like Hardesty, but in town...and thankfully much better tread.

Weather: it'd been snowing lightly in town as we left, and it stayed that way the whole run. As we ascended Ostrich, it got even thicker, 'til we were running on 2-3" of powder.

I felt much better on this climb, finally waking up, but after a good 30-50min of climbing, I began to bonk. Tim pulled away within a half-mile of the top, so I stopped for a gel and a salt tab (that I brought but didn't intend to use). That helped some, but now I was low on water. Got to the top in fog and snow, then descended.

Nice descent, but midway down I was in high-level bonk. Ugh. Thankfully it was a blissful descent. Melted some snow into my water bottle, so I snapped out of the bonk for a couple miles 'til we got back to Granite St, only a few miles from his house. But by then I was in MEGA-bonk mode -- couldn't run the 2% up grade to the reservoir! Thankfully it was close, so as we walked a bit, Tim surrendered his last gel to me -- wonderful! -- then I got a good 20oz of water at the bathroom. Within 5min I was about 99%. Cool!

Flat, then a good 400m big climb, then flat along the canal to Tim's. BIG run, TOUGH run, but a good one.

Post-Run: soak/stretch at YMCA, then out to Standing Rock brewery for great food and beer. Excellent day!