Well, with 17 days to go, it looks like I might be limping to the finish line before the race even starts.
It seems the effects of the last long run I did on June 8 are still lingering despite my unintentional two week (almost) layoff. I went for two runs so far this week on Sunday and Tuesday and on both of them, at around 4 miles, my knees really started hurting on the down hills. According to Steve, my non-medical background but no stranger to knee-problems source of information, I most likely am suffering from patellar tendinitis. The solution? Rest.
However, with a little over two weeks to go before race day and because I already "rested" for two weeks, that isn't going to happen - at least this week and next. Even though I'm familiar with the Jay Cooke trails, that only constitutes roughly 12-14 miles of the 26+ mile race route. So this week is all about exploring the other half - from Spirit Mountain to Jay Cooke.
Sunday was my first exploratory run. Even though Becky, Jordyn and I explored various trailheads in that area, I still needed to see the trails themselves to get some answers. On Sunday, I got some. Five minutes into a 5-miler on Sunday I came across this really cool abandoned railroad tunnel. Unfortunately it wasn't on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) which is what I was looking for. Lucky for me there were some rock climbers just above it working on some rappelling skills and I asked them if they knew where it was. The guy on the wall above said it was somewhere just up over the cliff he was on. The guy on the ground told me to go around to the left and there was a neat little scramble up a crevasse that would get me to the top. But he warned me that I'd probably need both hands. He was right.
It seems the effects of the last long run I did on June 8 are still lingering despite my unintentional two week (almost) layoff. I went for two runs so far this week on Sunday and Tuesday and on both of them, at around 4 miles, my knees really started hurting on the down hills. According to Steve, my non-medical background but no stranger to knee-problems source of information, I most likely am suffering from patellar tendinitis. The solution? Rest.
However, with a little over two weeks to go before race day and because I already "rested" for two weeks, that isn't going to happen - at least this week and next. Even though I'm familiar with the Jay Cooke trails, that only constitutes roughly 12-14 miles of the 26+ mile race route. So this week is all about exploring the other half - from Spirit Mountain to Jay Cooke.
Sunday was my first exploratory run. Even though Becky, Jordyn and I explored various trailheads in that area, I still needed to see the trails themselves to get some answers. On Sunday, I got some. Five minutes into a 5-miler on Sunday I came across this really cool abandoned railroad tunnel. Unfortunately it wasn't on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) which is what I was looking for. Lucky for me there were some rock climbers just above it working on some rappelling skills and I asked them if they knew where it was. The guy on the wall above said it was somewhere just up over the cliff he was on. The guy on the ground told me to go around to the left and there was a neat little scramble up a crevasse that would get me to the top. But he warned me that I'd probably need both hands. He was right.
This is the "little scramble" he was referring to. (Trust me the picture doesn't do it justice!) However, I made it to the top expecting to find the SHT or at least a spur trail to it. I found neither. What I did find was another cliff, this one about 30 feet high and since I knew I wasn't going down the first one I climbed, I had no choice but to go up. This one was a bit more difficult as I had to toss my water bottles to the ledges above me just so I could make the climb. (I declined to include a picture of this lest it upset my wife!)
However, I was careful and made it to the top with relatively little drama. And, as I've found countless times, with a little risk and effort usually comes a reward. My reward this time was the following view.
However, I was careful and made it to the top with relatively little drama. And, as I've found countless times, with a little risk and effort usually comes a reward. My reward this time was the following view.
Apparently I had made it to the top of a local landmark called Ely's Peak - the hard way. Yet I still hadn't found the SHT. However this time there was a little spur trail which I followed for a bit and BAM!, there it was, the unmistakable blue markings of the trail. Once on it I decided to do a little out and back since I needed to leave time to find a different way down.
Since this is getting a little long, I'll just say that previously I thought I was pretty tough "conquering" the hills of Jay Cooke. Don't get me wrong, they are pretty hilly, but they're mostly 16-feet wide and grassy. Not so much with the SHT. The following picture is an example of one of the trail's technical downhill sections. Not much different from my "little boulder scramble" an hour earlier.
Since this is getting a little long, I'll just say that previously I thought I was pretty tough "conquering" the hills of Jay Cooke. Don't get me wrong, they are pretty hilly, but they're mostly 16-feet wide and grassy. Not so much with the SHT. The following picture is an example of one of the trail's technical downhill sections. Not much different from my "little boulder scramble" an hour earlier.
I realize you veteran North Shore SHT runners are chuckling to yourselves, but I guess it's all a part of getting out and exploring. As I've said numerous times, the coolest part of all this trail running is seeing what lies throughout the landscape that I've lived in and/or driven through during my entire life - most of which I was completely unaware.
On Tuesday (yesterday) I explored a different section - from the bottom of Spirit Mountain up to the Magney-Snively nature area on top of Spirit. Instead of giving you a play-by-play of that adventure, I'll just include a few photos of that as well below.
Today I'll be checking out the section from Magney-Snively to Bardon's Peak and eventually on Sunday, Steve and I (and maybe Jeff, Wenday, Bob and/or Lindsey) will be covering the stretch from Magney-Snively all the way to Jay Cooke. (Steve's going to Jay Cooke and back as he needs to complete a 50K training run, but you all know, he's nuts.)
Anyways, until next time, somebody find me a Lorax. (He speaks for the "knees", right? Sorry, bad Dr. Seuss joke...)
On Tuesday (yesterday) I explored a different section - from the bottom of Spirit Mountain up to the Magney-Snively nature area on top of Spirit. Instead of giving you a play-by-play of that adventure, I'll just include a few photos of that as well below.
Today I'll be checking out the section from Magney-Snively to Bardon's Peak and eventually on Sunday, Steve and I (and maybe Jeff, Wenday, Bob and/or Lindsey) will be covering the stretch from Magney-Snively all the way to Jay Cooke. (Steve's going to Jay Cooke and back as he needs to complete a 50K training run, but you all know, he's nuts.)
Anyways, until next time, somebody find me a Lorax. (He speaks for the "knees", right? Sorry, bad Dr. Seuss joke...)