Sunday 3.22 3 "old" friends and one new running companion gathered with me for a 16.5 mile jaunt in Doughton Park. Brian, Matt, Doug and I have run together for years-and Dan who lives in Deep Gap is just now immerging into training for his first ultra. Welcome to an awesome "lifestyle" Dan! (Dan is registered for the Great Eastern 100k in September). Some people may say it is a toughie for a person's 1st ultra-(it is-heck, it's a toughie for a person's 50th ultra), yet those of us running together yesterday fully understand the desire to jump right in...Doug, Brian and I all ran Massanutten as our 1st hundred...
Anyway, yesterday I'd hoped to have a couple of "takers" for a 33ish route I'd planned to run that involved lots of trail and lots of dirt and paved road. For me balancing out technical with smoother running is still the smart approach. Yet all who gathered were up for the loop we did. Matt and I considered doubling up on it-yet halfway through I knew 2 loops of this route was more than I wanted to put my fussy calf through.
We had an amazing day! 7.3 miles on the Bluff Mountain Trail, 4.4ish on some of the sweetest downhill in NC (Cedar Ridge Trail) a little road walk to link the trails and straight up Flat Top Ridge for 5.5ish miles back to the parking lot.
Thank you my friends for a beautiful and fun day in the High Country!
4 comments:
Looks beautiful!! Good Luck on your Upcoming race!!!
Annette, You were right. From the pictures, I can tell that Dougthon Park is a beautiful place to run. Glad to see Dan as a newcomer to the group. Looks like Doug received best blood. Looks like a fantastic time on the trails. Rick
Annette, It looks like an amazing run. Since my injury I bought a book that talked about the beauties of Daughtan Park and have driven past there many times waiting for the day that I could run there. I just wanted to have you wish best of luck to Dan on his first ultra. As you know that was my first ultra as well. I just wanted you to wish him the best of the horrible, then the painful then the joyful, then the hopefull, then the love, then the trancendence, and then the remembrance that I too felt in that race.
Best of luck Annette in all your journies.
Eric
Annette:
Great work on getting those pictures posted so quickly. I had a great time and hope to run with you and the gang again soon.
I'm planning a birthday "marathon" on 5/9 on the Tanawah trail. I'm not sure if your race schedule allows you to make it. I hope you can though. take care and see you on the trails.
Dan
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