May 22 Training Run Report – He Said

Blame it on NYC.

I had missed the previous week’s training run due to travel, but I made it back home in time for the Last ½  run  on Sunday from Cleveland Dam to Deep Cove….or so I thought. Or rather….I wasn’t (thinking).

Late Saturday night, I got a call from John “Hardrock” Machray. My brain was fried, I was bagged, & totally incoherent….”Hey buddy” he said, “what’s with the run tomorrow? Why are you meeting at Lynn Suspension bridge but running from Cleveland Dam?”. I wasn’t sure what the heck he was talking about, but I assumed he had just come off of a 24 hour run somewhere  & was out of it. I flicked on my computer & tried to focus on what he was trying to tell me. It sorta sunk in….confusion. After a few frantic emails & calls between Kelsy & Patricia (who recognized my wits weren’t totally about me), we decided to make the Lynn Canyon meeting place the “official” start for the day.

It wasn’t until the next morning (sleep restored!!), that I pieced together what had happened & what we needed to do…to all of you who turned up, thanks for putting up with the confusion. It seems that the previous week’s snow run had led us to consider alternative routes. Somehow this got translated into the following week’s schedule (in the end, the original run for May 15^th remained unchanged anyway). As I was out of town, I never had a chance to look at the website & catch the issue. Apologies!

Anyway….Patricia met the pack at Lynn Canyon & I went to Cleveland Dam to give people the option of doing either version. With the exception of a couple of folks (thanks, Ean & Ramo for re-directing our photographer…Karen Chow!!), everyone opted to do the Canyon/Cove return route. I made it to the Canyon just in time to watch the tail end of the pack disappear. Patricia, Jason & I chased after them. It was surprisingly warm & humid in the trees, & the fresh air was a welcome change from the traffic & concrete of Philly & NYC.  Jason & Patricia soon went off at a faster pace & I kept moving along at a comfortable clip, though somewhat fatigued. I slogged up the climbs, & picked up the pace on the descents. I tried talking as a way of ignoring the lethargy in my legs. Laura from North Shore Athletics was running a good pace, so we stuck together for awhile (she’s doing this race for her 2^nd time) & chatted about a variety of running & non-running related topics….time flew by.

After hitting the final section from Indian River Road  to the Cove, it was time to turn around. Many people commented that it was a tough return….probably more due to the fact that we are used to stopping in the Cove, not heading back out. Ah well….up….up….up….Pushpa was climbing quite well & I tried to keep up with her on the road. If you get a chance to run with her, I highly recommend it…she is a wealth of running knowledge & a physician… last year she completed her goal of running an ultra on every continent ( yes….Antarctica & the Arctic included!). I finally arrived at the dreaded Seymour Grind & gave it a taste of its own kharma as I trounced down the slope & flew all the way to the Seymour River….whereupon, gravity had its way with me (is it just me, or do those steps get steeper every year!!??).

Shortly (interminably), I found myself back at the car & changing into dry clothes. Another one (somewhat ad libbed) for the books.

I won’t be here for next week’s run, but I know for certain that you will be running up Cypress.

Last year, the weather was absolutely awful!!! Make sure that you take along an extra layer …even if it’s just a garbage bag with arm holes…I can still feel the pain in my fingers as the feeling returned. The year prior was sunshine, & sunburn was a real concern. Life in the mountains!

Tip of the week: as I was talking with Laura about the technical aspect of the BP trail, I was reminded of a simple technique that will save your ankles & perhaps a face-plant or two….Run like a duck! Or Charlie Chaplin!  If you point your toes outward, you can protect your ankles from rolling…ankles roll outward, not inward. I’ve been  doing this for year’s on the downhills & you may have noticed. It looks odd, but it’s been very effective.

Have fun & see you in a week or so….

Glenn Pacé