Blackstrap Hellz

Excellent run with Jeff Walker. Met up with Jeff in Falmouth for a hill-workout on trails I've never been on. I was super excited for this run and got to the parking area early so as not to miss him or the opportunity.

The run started out with a warm-up of a slight incline to a great view along power lines which Jeff explained is the "local-run" for the Falmouth crew and part of the Jungle Run I've heard so much about. We got to the Skillinz Tree Farm after about 1.5 miles of sloggy awesome trails. The hill repeats started at the top with a light jog to the bottom so I could see what I was in for. The climb is .3 miles up with three distinct zones. It starts off in the field of young trees on a grassy slope and continues a bit steeper in the middle section with a bit of cautious footing just touching the wooded treeline. The final section begins with a bit of a right turn and heads directly up through the woods with pine needle, rooted footing. This final section is the killer, the wooded area closes in and seems to deprive you of fresh pine-scented oxygen you had in the field. This was exacerbated by the fact someone was burning a brush pile and we were privy to the hint of smoke-bomb scent. By this point hyperventilation is your partner, and it's all I could do to push through to the end. A quick fist-bump and were back down, with barely enough time to catch breath for the next onslaught.

All-in-all we did 8, and it was absolutely, wonderfully painful. The way back, or "cool-down" is still a bit of a climb and Jeff and I joked how we were still waiting for our lungs to catch-up with us. The very end slopes nicely to the parking lot and finishes a great workout. Jeff's quite a climber, and in fantastic shape, it was great to run with him. Can't wait for the next seshion.

efficiency: Focused on body dynamics, pumping arms for momentum, breathing relaxed at the beginning of each climb, and "falling" the descent for rest.

distance: 8.2
duration: 1:15:00
pace: 9:09