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Mt Fuji + course to PCT to Maiden Peak Trail (-summit)

July 19, 2019 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 70s, nice

Comments:
Busy day: went from 0 to 4 AM patients today, then hustled home to run at Waldo. We left around noon. Callie drove so I could study (but I wound up falling asleep!)

The plan was to run the Big Loop: Fuji-Maiden from Waldo Lake Road. It's a big run: nearly 29 miles and a lot of vert.

I had some ideas on splits from when I did it, 22 days out, in 2014, so I was pushing just a bit, leading CA and I up Fuji, but lots of (fast hiking). Felt pretty good! CA had trouble keeping up on the pow-hiking so the overall ascent was a little easy.

Split (road to Fuji AS): 55:xx

The summit...I always forget how long it takes to get up there! A lot of easy hiking, again, but some shuffling, too.

Split (AS to summit): 19:xx

Beautiful up there!

From there, we had a nice descent, where I once again pulled ahead of CA. It's funny: so much of it is mental for her: I get ahead, she gets "down" and slows down...because when she gets ahead? She pushes FASTER than I did, being in front!

I let her by on South Waldo trail and she pushed a bit. Around then I started to feel a little so-so. Stopping for water, I felt a lot better on the descent to Mt Ray AS. Had a gel there (Spring Energy - good stuff), then we pushed on.

CA kept leading on that TERRIBLE uphill grind up Gold Lake trail toward Mt Ray Trail. About a mile in...the goddamn ankles got REALLY PAINFUL.

They'd started OK, then were fine on the down...now? The worst they've been in a long time. Constant pain with occasional super-painful stabbing pain. I had to slow down, and CA pulled away...

I got angry. She stopped and I just vented: "SO frustrated!...years of pain...", etc. I don't think I took it out on her; only to let her know how I was feeling.

She let me lead, and I intentionally sped up...only to try to get out of my shuffle, use my hips better, and decrease ankle strain. It worked for a while: made it to Mt Ray, then I had CA lead again, where we made pretty good time toward the PCT.

But about halfway there, things began to go downhill, again: more ankle pain, AND left hip pain. CA said my stride looked "twisty", too. Ugh.

We made it to the PCT, and we were barely on it, heading south toward Maiden, when CA conceded that - beyond my shitty ankles - we shouldn't summit Maiden. I'm glad she said that, because I wasn't sure I'd make it.

So we kept on, continuing to make pretty good time. But the 3/4 mile uphill grind to the AS was painful again.

Once there, we both stopped to stretch out, then made the concession downhill back toward Gold Lake. That descent was pretty uneventful, but overall "stiff".

Made it through the trail, down the road to the CG, then up to the van, just under 4hr for 22 miles.

Solid pacing, actually, and - in retrospect - we weren't much off my 2014 paces!

Rest of the day:
* changed quick then got down the hill
* I hobbled around and made dinner while CA packed
* ate, packed up, then, at 9ish, went and got "anniversa-donuts" (19th!) on our way to dropping CA off for her red-eye, back east.

OK day...but I need a confident run...and I need to fix these damn ankles!

(Wore my last pair of newer generation Pearl N2 Roads - may be my race shoe).