I really like running but I don't enjoy being injured. 16 mile mountain runs when you aren't used to such efforts are the perfect opportunity to develop an overuse injury like the tendonitis I know all so well. Couple that with the fact that one of the things I like most about running is that I can do it with my dog but much like 16 mile bike rides 16 mile runs are simply more than he can handle so bailing on the Seven Sisters was the right thing to do. So that's what I did, or should I say didn't do.
Instead this past weekend was much like previous recent weekends: ride on Saturday and run on Sunday. The ride was nothing special, I met Yuri and with the trails wet and storms immanent we opted for more gravel than singletrack and as such rode Daniel Ridge from the Ranger Station and that was that.
For the run on Sunday I met Yuri once again and we did the same route we did two weeks ago but in the opposite direction:
Bennett Gap > Buckwheat Knob > Black Mtn. > Pressley Cove
I was interested to see which direction was easier but as things would turn out we wouldn't be able to find out. The run started good, if a little painful, but it was hot out. We hit Club Gap at the hour mark and it started to become clear that the heat was taking a toll on us and as we started the climb out of the gap Duma started to really drag. We stopped at the Buckhorn Gap shelter for water and to let the dogs cool but as we started back down the trail Duma once again couldn't hold the pace. Then on the way up Clawhammer Mtn. he hit the wall and was having to stop every few hundred yards to lay down and rest.
At that point we were already high on the mountain and bailing out wasn't really an option so I just stopped and patiently waited for him to regain his strength each time he stopped. Like I said, one of my favorite things about running is that I can do it with my dog and watching him almost collapse multiple times on the trail was really breaking my heart. So I let him do what he needed and followed his slow pace along the trail. The long descent was just more of the same - run/walk a hundred yards and then he would lay down for five minutes before going another hundred yards. Pressley Cove brought much needed water and put the truck just a mile away but still Duma could only go a short distance before he had to rest.
It was very hot and very steamy. Stuck somewhere between Clawhammer and Black Mtns.:
We made it down to the truck a few minutes before 5pm which didn't leave enough time for a beer at the Hub, but we made it down and that is all that matters. Next time instead of taking Duma on a 11 mile run across a rugged and dry ridge line in the heat we'll start earlier and stick to trails with plenty of shade and water!
It has been awhile since I updated this blog and I have a few pictures loaded so I'll share a little more. Two weekends ago I went for a fun ride with Yuri, TJ, Dr. Dave and Jon C. that included climbing Turkey Pen Gap trail up from South Mills River. It had been awhile since I had done that and it was surprisingly easy! Here are some pictures:
The next Sunday I met Yuri out at Turkey Pen for a half marathon run:
South Mills River > Cantrell Creek > Squirrel Gap > Bradley Creek > South Mills River
When we hit Pea Gap there was a horse tied to a tree and a moment later the rider came running down out of the woods. We were thinking he was upset that the dogs were hassling his horse but the next moment two Search and Rescue ATV's came up Bradley Creek trail and asked if we had seen any horses in need of help. It turns out a rider got thrown and was having a very bad day and would end up getting a helicopter ride out.
Not what you want to see at a trail head:
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