Heat training, Mt. Agamenticus 6 hour run

Well this week was a bit of a gamble adding on double the mileage from last week as well as the ever-challenging Mt. Agamenticus 6 hour run. Hopefully the two rest days as well as the relatively flat terrain, (except for Mt. A) made the transition easier on my body. We'll see. All-in-all it was a hot week, perfect heat training for Vermont. Summer's here!




Monday - Wohelo Trail and back.  8.2, @7:02.  Fun spirited run after missing a weekends worth of long runs. Still sluggish and real fatigued from the sickness, but it felt great to move.

Tuesday - Eastern Trail.  20, @9:22.  Good run along the ET from the house. I decided a flat run of at least twenty would be good after missing last weekends 50k in the mountains, and falling short in mileage a few weeks in a row. Knowing the Mt. A 6 hour run is coming up and I'm increasing the miles I figured flat and easy was a good idea. The run felt great and after mixing in as much single-track as I could to keep it interesting I managed a solid negative split.

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - Robinson Woods to the Sea.  8.3, @9:13.  Nice and easy with a few pick-ups along the ocean at Fort Williams.  Another gorgeous day.

Friday - Eastern Trail.  5.5, @9:03.  Mindy and I were finally able to meet-up, and catch-up on past events, as well as future goals. Real great run on another absolutely gorgeous day.

Saturday - Mount Agamenticus 6 hour run, Western States commemorative.  31.8, @11:37.  Wow what a humid and hot day!  20 or thirty of us started off at 7 a.m. to run the approximately 3 mile loop on Mt. A. while people we know started their own epic journey at the WS100.

I started off with Ian, Zak, Blaine, Nathan and Tyler at a comfortable pace heading down the dirt road in 95% humidity.  It literally felt like we were swimming down the road with the thick, soupy feel to the day.  The first few laps were quite challenging for me, and I'm sure a few others with the high humidity, still air, and steep ascents.  After a lap or two Tyler took off and the four of us pushed on as the humidity dropped and the temperature rose.

The sun came out somewhere about half way and I got the urge to move quicker.  So Blaine and I picked up the pace a bit, but after a lap I realized I was getting in to racing mode.  I found myself wanting to catch Tyler and ensure I could get in 11 laps.  With the previous weeks ramp in mileage, the humidity, and wanting to rest for the upcoming final week of training, we stopped for Zak and Ian.  Besides the training reasons to slow down a bit, I started to feel a bit tuckered, and more importantly really wanted to run with as many TM's as possible today.  Slowing it down and hanging with Zak and Ian proved a smart idea as later in the day they would be dragging my ass down the mountain each loop. 

Somewhere around lap 6 Blaine had to head home and we were joined by Jamie.  This was a complete surprise, and great to have someone fresh join the crew.  Not to mention I hadn't run with Jamie in a long time.  I definitely felt some invigoration for a few laps with him and was able to cruise up the steep back side of the mountain with relative fun.  On the down though Zak and Ian simply rocked it and were able to keep our pace solid each lap.

By the 8th lap I was definitely feeling tired, sore, and heat exhausted.  We'd been sweating profusely since the start of the day and the sun was now beating down on us more, and more each lap.  I drank a bottle almost every three miles for a total of 5 liters during the run.  The nutrition was fine, sweet potatoes, Raw Revolution bar, two Mojo bars, dates, apricots, but the massive amount of water was probably not being processed well as a few people pointed out I was bloated.  It was true, I looked like I'd just finished a pie eating contest, thrown down a few dozen hot dogs and finished it off with castor oil...  I'd only had Nuun every other lap mixing it with water, as I wanted to watch my electrolyte intake.  But still something seemed off.

The ninth lap was a hard push, a bit slower on the ascent and a bit more painful on the way down.  I think Jamie left before our 10th lap and it was now just the three of us.  With Ian's solid training the last few weeks, notably his 50k slog last week, he was happy to call it good after finishing ten.  I myself really wanted to push the last lap to get in 11 as I felt like I was playing catch-up with quality LSD.  Zak too was game, and actually looked and ran real well.  He stated his legs "felt great" and made it evident on the quick, gazelle-like descents down the mountain.

We finished 11 laps in 6:09.  So we didn't quite get the laps in under the 6 hour mark.  I think we were just cresting the top when six hours rolled around.  It was another really great day in the heat and humidity, and very nice to spend it with friends pushing ourselves.  It was hard to believe that when we finished our friends out West still had a long way to go...



Sunday - Off.  I was going to do a short shake-out run and take Monday off, but decided to rest now, not push it, and have a solid week next week.

Time:  12:19
Distance:  73.8
Elevation:   6662