Saturday, September 1

Stage Race: Day 3 & 4

Friday evening was a hard one - about 3.5 miles straight up Signal Mountain - about 1000' of gain. It's a time trial, so we go off one at a time. Signal Mountain Blvd (127) isn't runner friendly, but for the most part car are courteous. It's a long slow climb up and my legs felt every foot of gain. I finished in 34:10.... I think a tad quicker than last year.



Saturday morning: the Big Daddy trail run at Lookout Mountain - about 12.5 miles on very runnable trails. That doesn't mean I could run it all today though... I think I've been sweating a lot more this summer than past (maybe due to the heat, but it was actually quite pleasant on the mountain, with a cool breeze), and not taking in enough water sometimes. I carried 2 bottles with me (1 water/ 1 amino vital), and stashed a third at the bottom of Sunset Rock, the only place we'd pass twice. I still ended up running out of liquids about 25 minutes from Sunset, and had been rationing until that point. I felt run down (well, this much running in a few days will certainly do that to you!) and alternated between walking and running on the last Bluff View trail section. (running made me more thirsty, but would get me finished quicker... catch-22).

I hung with Brian most of the time (until the Bluff trail) - always nice to have company (especially one that likes to talk, which makes things pass faster!). We both walked up most of the John Smart Trail - a painful section as it is basically a 2mile climb... but it's good to practice a fast solid walk (at Mountain Mist, I could pass many people, as they slowly walked.)

Once I finally made it back to Sunset, I downed most of the water immediately. The climb out was rough on my tired legs/knees, but it was nice to finally emerge back onto West Brow Road. However, I took a wrong turn heading back to our starting point, which sucked. I just wanted to finish! My time was 2:50 by the time I made it back. Matt & Natalie had bagels waiting for us and hand-held water bottles as our finishers prize. They always do a great job with this for-fun event!

Final results to come, but only 3 women completed all 4 stages (Natalie, Me, Charlene), and I think 5 guys.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You mention Amino Vital, which I use on the Golf Course. Is this helpful for full endurance sports like running? This was a surprise to me when I read it. The extra exertion you are describing.

4:12 AM  
Blogger cathi said...

Oh yeah! AV is great for keeping my muscles fueled, helps me avoid muscle fatigue, and aids in recovery - very important with events like this where there's not much time inbetween. Similarly... I've never thought about golfers using the product! But I guess keeping hydrated on hot summer days is important no matter what your sport!

11:11 PM  

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