In celebration of my Aug-17 44th birthday, I repeated my annual roundtrip run on the main Whitney Trail on Sunday Aug-15.
TRAINING: Usual ramp to 5 day/wk (~65mi) training base at sea-level East of the SF Bay. On three weekdays, worked on bounding and aerobic capacity on a mix of roads/trails. On Saturdays, ran a hard 13mi trail (~4,000ft of total uphill) to work on bounding and aerobic capacity. On Sundays, ran medium 18-20mi trail (~6,000ft of total uphill).
NIGHT BEFORE RUN: Ate loads of veggie pizza at the Pizza Factory, followed by salty pretzels, and lots of candy.
MORNING OF RUN: Choked down a banana, 3 chocolate power bars, salty pretzels, and more candy. Washed it down with salted Gatorade. Guzzled 40oz of water during the 30min before the start.
RUN: Started about 6:00am. Temp was 55degF. Carried two small (7oz) hand-strapped water bottles to hydrate a bit along the way. Encountered only minimal water on the switchbacks. Felt strong and comfortable during the approx 4:50 or so round-trip “running time”. Maintained a safe pace while yielding to the hikers. Warmed up a bit in the summit hut to rebound from the chilly and damp weather conditions. As usual, took time to socialize with many hikers--who were all very polite and supportive as usual. Took extra time during the descent to provide summit weather information to the ascending hikers to ensure they were prepared for the summit’s chilly and damp conditions. Encountered persistent light rain on the descent, causing tricky slick conditions in the tundra and in the rocky areas below Trail Camp. In summary, another fantastic experience. Looking forward to next year’s run (but not turning 45).
FINISH: Felt great at the bottom—no AMS symptoms as usual. Returned to the hotel in time to take my wife to lunch and then consume a very welcome espresso made by Mandy at the Espresso Parlor.
