14.5 mile run (and walk): Donahue-County View-Miwok-Diaz Ridge-Coastal-Coyote-Fox-Tennessee Valley
It’s been about 2 years since I’ve run more than 5 miles. I’ve been focusing a lot more on biking (and school work and such) so I’ve stuck to sporadic shorter runs. Now that I have some interesting destinations that I can’t get to via road bike, trail running seems like a great new activity. So I set out for a run to Muir Beach, just north of Tennessee Beach where I was last week.
Knowing that this would be my longest run in a while, I followed the trail running adage: “If you can’t see the top, walk.” This is valuable advice when starting with an 800 foot 14% grade, as this run did. Once I reached the Miwok trail-head things leveled out and I was able to proceed with actual running until reaching Muir Beach. It was another overcast day (apparently summer doesn’t arrive until September here) but there where lots of people on the beach having picnics and cooking on the fire pits scattered throughout the cove. There were several people flying kites, dogs playing in the surf, and a group of climbers walking on a slack line they had set up in the sand. In short, a perfect day for recreation and relaxation.
As I headed home along the Coastal Trail, my legs were beginning to realize that 14.5 miles and 3000 feet of climbing was no easy task without training. The stretch to Tennessee Valley road transitioned from the pleasurable sting of a hard effort to the real pain of joints and muscles not accustomed to this punishment. I settled down to a walk for the last 2 miles, and stopped by an organic fruit stand to buy some cherries and berries which I enjoyed on my way back up the final hill. I definitely need to improve my fitness if I ever want to excel at long, hilly efforts – something I have struggled with since I began cross country in high school. Nothing changes in the long run.
Running on Empty 
Keep up the good work because we’re going to be training for a triathlon. You have no choice whether or not to do it, sorry.
By: Ben on July 26, 2010
at 4:19 pm
I enjoy your essays; you are a good writer. Interesting subjects.
Hills are a different ‘animal’ and require a slightly different strategy. May I suggest the following: lean into the hill. Lean forward so that your torso is parallel with the grade. Take shorter steps; do not ‘stride’. Modify your stride a bit so that it is more of a climb (shorter) than a stride (longer). Attack the hill on the down-stroke, and concentrate on your breathing – get more O2. Your rhythm will be shorter, too; maybe slower and more determined. That’s ok. You may find that most of this is mental (80 % mental, 20% physical – sorta Pareto).
I used to run cross-country. There was a beautiful 3.5 mile course in Mendon Ponds park. Two hills: cardiac and coronary. Cardiac was long and gradual; coronary was shorter and steeper. You ran up cardiac and thought “Oh, good – that’s over”, ran around a few corners in the trail and BOOM! Another hill. A mental killer, unless you were prepared. Just a beautiful run in the fall – lots of colorful leaves.
Let me know if this technique works for you. And please keep writing.
By: Ganz Nichts on August 13, 2010
at 6:44 pm