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Waldo Course Run: start straight to Gold Lake, then "course" to Maiden Peak Trail, then straight back via PCT

July 28, 2018 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 60 - mid 80s, sun

Comments:
Got up early. Too early. BAD night of sleep. Just before I fell asleep a goddamn BAT flew into the unscreened window of my cabin room. That was an "excitement" to get that out. It too a broom and a plastic bag, but I did. It wasn't big, but "gross".

Then, at 3:30AM, Nate's wife Vi gets UP and basically is DOING the dishes, just below my room, loud AF! At first I had this confusing freakout, thinking it was 5:30 and Brent or Nate was getting ready. Nope...she was randomly putting dishes away (again, loud AF) at 3:30. Thankfully that lasted only about 10 minutes, then it got quiet again. But sleep was shit after that.

I was for this run. The long route was similar to what BGD and I did with Connor in '12: Fuji-Maiden with the finish. Only we started at the PCT TH at Highway 58, then ran low to Gold Lake to hop on the course.

We kept it REALLY easy, or I did, early, launching at 7AM. I knew it was going to be a tough day. We did a ton of hiking once on Fuji Trail, and it felt pretty good, actually.

Once atop Fuji, both Nate and Brent pushed the descent. Nate's always been good at descending -- it's that pro soccer player footwork. But Brent really impressed me. They both left me relatively in the dust.

At that time, though, I switched to nasal breathing, and that admittedly slowed me down even more. But I was committed to surviving this run and having a positive experience. And since it worked so well at Diamond, that's what I did.

They got out front on the descent to South Waldo, and from there, I began to lag behind. Not a ton, but enough that they'd have to wait a minute. We stopped for a big water fill at the spring, then I fell back again on Mt Ray Trail.

After that...it was a bit of a slog: slow going on Gold Lake, and by then, I knew I shouldn't do Maiden Peak. We rolled over to the PCT, then south (so, going from "mile 23" to "mile 48"), I was anxious to get to Maiden Peak Trail just so I could let them go! So that's what happened: we parted ways there. They headed up/east and I headed up/south, but directly back to the van.

I walked a TON those next couple miles, including up to the Ski Shelter. I stopped inside for a rest for about ten minutes, then got going.

TONS of people on the PCT. Not all through-hikers, but a ton of other folks, including some randoms who recognized the Uhan Performance van, and my new trucker hat! I always tried to run when I came up on someone, but if it was uphill at all, I was walking.

Felt a little rough near the top, overlooking the Rosaries, so I indulged in my second Trail Butter packet, AND a smores-flavored gel! My first gel since RdL. They paired well.

Once to the Maiden Saddle, it was all downhill, so I ran it all. Nothing amazing, but pretty solid: low to mid-8s.

Got to the TH in 29.6 or so.

The best part: having the van to wait! I laid up in the bunk, resting the legs, drinking La Croix, and listening to blues on KLCC 'til the boys got back..

Good day.
Glad to know I can do runs this long, but damn, they're slow. No bonk, no heavy effort, just a lot of achy fatigue and slow, slow running.

Rest of the day:
* back to the cabin
* ate a ton
* half-conscious napped
* more eating and beers
* stiff limping around!
* watched "Waynes World" on VHS! Ha!

Good day.

[Wore a new pair of Green and Gray N1 Trails]