getting better!

did a 22 mile trail run w/ sarah on sunday, through the redwoods (not the big ones).  and saw a deer.  two of them.

now that we've written out the Wasatch training schedule, 22 miles seems so short... but it's actually the longest trail run we've done so far.

for the most part it went really well.

great dynamic between the two of us, taking turns leading when the other person was feeling a bit lower.

stop roughly every hour to eat and make new electrolyte drink from fast-dissolve tablets

overall, i had good energy levels most of the time, and while my left quad had early signs of cramping up a bit, it got better as i kept running and drinking electrolyte.  the main downer was the left knee which flared up around mile 5, then subsided for the next 10 miles or so, and then really started bugging me on the last 5.  if i let it cool down, it really acts up, and then, once it warms up, it gets a bit better.  perhaps we should have walking breaks instead of standing breaks to eat.

yeah, food's really important.  at least for me.  some people can do a whole marathon with no food and drink (and win it!), but for me the post-food high and the following low are so palpable, that it's very clear i need to eat  at least every hour and more than just 1 Clif bar.

also, i'll probably be changing my training to focus on long weekend runs and not run that much during the week, to give the knees and muscles chance to recover.  most folks out there seem to do it that way.  on weekdays i can do crosstraining, weights, etc.

oh yeah, and time-wise, we did it in 4:50 or 13 minute miles, which is a great Ultra pace, though not one we can hope to maintain over 100 miles (we're shooting for 18 minute pace).  and much better than we did on our first 20 mile trail race, where we were doing over 15 minute miles.  of course we're in better shape, not sick, and this was about as easy of a trail as it gets - soft, level ground, with only mild climbs and descents.

oh and i'm really excited about my new Camelbak which let me carry over 10 lb of weight (3.5L of water, extra layer, food, flashlight and other items) and still fit snug on my back with zero bounce.