Spring into a Run and Make it an Eight!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

It took a while to get into the running frame of mind today. And so, by the time I started, it was already Spring (11:32 MDT today, I think). I did not feel much like running and actually walked the first 100 yards or so as I started up the hill. I am trying to stick with my training plan, and that called for an 8-mile run, either today or tomorrow. Since I didn't want to count on the weather being as nice tomorrow as it was today, I decided to 'go for the eight'!). After having trucks running up the blacktop for most of the week, today, the highway was quiet, so up the blacktop I went! I have a 'standard' route that I know is pretty close to 8 miles, so that was the plan today. This meant the first mile would be on the tar and then uphill for three miles to the Lupine Meadows gate. Since the overnight temperature had gone down to the middle teens, the gravel road was still pretty nicely frozen for the uphill run. The elevation change for this run is almost 1000 feet, and most of it is during the three mile gravel uphill climb. I managed to run/jog most of the way until the three plus mile mark. I walked and jogged alternately for the last mile up the hill. The temperature at the gate was probably about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the rest of the route. Snow was still fairly deep along the sides of the road and the last half mile or so doesn't get much direct sunlight until during the afternoon.


After the turnaround at the gate, I ran the downhill section until the Carr ranch. There, I talked with Mr. Carr for a bit of time to catch up on the events of the winter. After the chat, I continued the run down the hill and back to the ranch. I did notice that someone must have done a 'can pickup' since the last time I ran the last mile. (I only noticed about 10-15 cans and bottles during the last mile this time, whereas, last run I counted 76). Way to go can pickers! And, after all was said and done, I can add the first 8-miler to my marathon training logbook for this season!