Three climbs up the Chubb

RUN: 15 miles in 3.5hrs on the Chubb

My goal was 20 miles. It wasn't until I hit 12 miles that I realized how ambitious that goal was. I also had a goal of doing a Triple Chubb, as a stepping stone to doing a Quad Chubb.

Absolutely gorgeous day and start to the Mem Day weekend! The plan called for a 20+8 weekend but I knew I'd be biking some of it. I still haven't figured out the best way to merge the HIM and UM plans.

The first hour didn't go so smooth. I veered off onto the wrong trail early on and found myself at the bottom of a very steep rocky hill. I took it just for kicks, but in getting back onto the right route I realized I was going the wrong way--heading back to the shelter! Oh well. I re-calculated and planned to run out 9 then turn around. It didn't hit me until later that 9 miles was most of the trail. Bad math. So in the 1st hour, I did only 4 miles.

Hit the shelter lot and headed back up to the picnic table, this time taking the correct trail. I was able to feel the improvements the plyometrics are making for me--I was pushing the leaps and lateral jumps much more than I was before and feeling good with it. This was the good thing from P90X today, the bad was that my back muscles were sore under the Camelbak!

I was getting some anxiety about my bad math, and picked a goal of doing a "hard" mile, then an "easy" mile, all relative to each other. Up and over the bluff, down to the river where flooding blocked the DC course just a month ago. The water was gone by now, but the damage is still there. Trees and branches blocked the river trail only a quarter mile in. I was able to cross or go around a few but eventually I was blocked off. Humph. Well, didn't I want to do a Triple anyway? Back to the bluff.

Once at the bluff, I veered off to run along the gravel road that I discovered in volunteering for the DC. Out a mile, found a golf ball and kept it for some reason, back a mile. I was back at the RR tracks and needed many many more miles before I hit 10 miles. Nuts. Back to the water. Back to the tracks, only around 8 miles now. Dammit. Up the bluff. I passed for the 2nd time a group of guys, this time I walked a bit up the hill with them, learned they are going to the Grand Canyon for hiking next weekend! Doesn't that sound fun?!

Anyway, back towards the truck after re-doing the Chinkapin. The Garmin beeped for 12 and I knew that if I stopped I'd lose more time. So I skipped the truck and headed up Flint Quarry, planning to turn around after 1.5 miles so I could hit 15 today. Found the guys again at the top, more talking, then back down.

So while I'm disappointed that I only got 15 miles, I'm still happy. My legs were sore from the previous day's P90X, I only ran a total of 15 miles last weekend, and it's the Chubb for cryin out loud! Technic alus Maximus! It took me 2.5 hours to run 15 miles on the TTT course, and just under 3.5 on the Chubb. Wow.