Lost Valley 17 miler

RUN 17 miles in LV, 3:33 time, ave HR 136
flats cadence ~170-174 bpm 
trail cadence ~165-170 bpm

Full moon this evening!

I've been yearning for this trail and WHOOP I got it! There was a lot of rain over the week and overnight, so I got a later start to let the trail drain. Also, the mud will keep mountain bikers off my tail.

The loop overall is about 13 miles but I wanted 16. So I did an out n back, and yup ended up at 17 miles, not 16. Got a lot of distance measures this time. I did a Mound loop (just over a mile) before heading out. The branch off the Hamburg is 2.25 miles when run like that (I guess about 1.25 miles from parking lot. The hill down is 0.25 mile, the hill up another 0.25 but without a defined "top". And later on the Garmin I found it is about 100 feet down, another 100-120 feet up. If it wasn't for the gravel and big rocks, it could be a great hill "bowl" run.

I walked the hills and started out conservative. Things felt better by the time I hit the muddy trail (about 4 miles in) where I settled into a steady run. I don't know many of the landmarks on this trail -- still can't find the cemetary -- but there's the fall bridge at the creek, the little rock and root wall after that, the rocky overlook ledge (maybe two of those...) the sweeping rocky dip in towards a creek bad, a smooth climb back up, the hairpins leading to the double track road, and that was my turn around. I ran until 8.5 miles thinking that I could return to the Mound and have the option of running that loop as a cool down. Or if I was wore out I could end early. I was wore out, but I'm supposed to be! So I did the 17th mile. Of course.

No trips, no falls. A few toe catches. I had stopped at the QT on the way out and got 2 each of Tootsie roll pop, mini chocolate bars, and tootsie rolls for the run. Along with a clementine orange or two. I really enjoyed the Pops, and I think one was missing the center?! All that for 0.31, I think the guy added it up wrong? Who cares. Yummy! And will maybe be a standard for my upcoming runs. They last a long time, and I don't have to keep it in my mouth the entire time. I drained the Camelbak too, out of water by the end, and that probably wasn't enough water overall.

Other moments to remember... butterflies-- the black ones with shimmery blue wings that like mud; the rosary hanging from an overhead tree branch on the doubletrack; the silence except the shooting at the firing range; the calm, the freedom, the personal solitude.

My feet were sore from the rocks, my left upper back still has that stinging pain to it, but other than that this was a WIN! Once done, I played Imagine Dragons Radioactive as I climbed the Mound steps at the end.

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age