The Switzerland ultramarathon training continues! Saturday kicked off a 3 week stretch of big
training prior the 2 week taper.
Over the weekend I managed 10K of climbing and 7K of
descending over 26 miles. On Saturday I
did 3,000+ feet of climbing on the treadmill over 4 miles (in addition to a
flat 6 mile run around town). On Sunday
it was time for serious business, and I sought out the steepest big climb in a 100
mile radius of DC.
White Oak Canyon has some beautiful scenery and pretty tough
terrain. The less used Cedar Run trail
connects up to the Hawksbill trail and packs a punch with 3,300 feet of
climbing over 4 rocky miles. Hawsbill
is the highest point in the Shenandoahs with some stunning views of Old Rag and
other surrounding peaks. You drop off
the back side of Hawsbill for a 7 mile descent that is gradual for 4.5 miles
and then steep and rocky for the last 2.5 miles. The plan was to do this twice.
It rained for about the first hour on the trail, which made
for tough going up the slippery rocks of Cedar Run. I brought my Salomon 12 liter pack and tried
to get close to simulating what I would need to carry in Switzerland. I brought along a waterproof shell jacket
(totally unnecessary), an insulated top layer (totally unnecessary), two
headlamps (you guessed it, unnecessary), trekking poles, my phone, 110 liters
of water, and some food.
Between my pack, somewhat tired legs from the climb the day
before, the tough terrain, and the rain, I knew I would be in for a solid
workout. The first loop was slower than
anticipated, but I felt strong and was having a good time. The trekking poles were awesome and a huge
helps on the climbs.
I managed to do the second loop over 20 minutes faster than
the first loop, which was awesome. I was
feeling good and could easily have kept on going. With the trekking poles and all of my incline
training on the treadmill, I feel like I could climb basically forever, and the
downhills will be the hard part for me.
I hammered the downhill on the second loop in part to try to brace
myself for the brutal 20K of descending in the Sardona Ultra.
So all in all a great day and a solid weekend of
training. I saw a bear cub, enjoyed
outstanding views, ran past numerous beautiful waterfalls, and felt great the
whole way. What more can you ask for?!
View from Hawsbill Peak, highest in the Shenandoahs
River crossing over into White Oak Canyon
White Oak Canyon waterfalls
Top of Hawsbill Take 2!
The prominent peak in the middle is Old Rag
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