Long-Run Delirium

So my training for the Eagle Creek Trail Marathon is in full swing. I swore off of marathons until I could run a sub-2:00 half, which I assumed meant I'd never have to go through marathon training ever again. Then I discovered trail running. Apparently, I've now completely lost my mind because I decided that not only would I take on the challenge of a trail marathon, but I would run this race at summer's peak. Fantastic plan, don't you think?

Today our schedule had us aiming for a 19-mile run. The weatherman didn't get the message though and gave us a forecast topping out at 97 degrees. Um, yeah. Thanks, buddy. Our plan was to start at 6:30 a.m. and hopefully avoid the worst of the heat. So much for that.

We met at Deam Wilderness to tackle the challenge head-on: 2 loops of the Cope Hollow Trail would give us 20 miles. The veterans gave us the basic directions of "go right, then left at every turn until the last right." How will we know we're at the last right? If you think you should be almost done but you cross the road, you missed it. Gotcha.

So, we ran. And ran. And walked. Ran some more. Wow, it's getting warm. Erin was pretty sure it was about 90 degrees out. She reminded Heather and I of that several times, just in case we hadn't noticed. We had fun finding the trail markings Ben, Steph, and Evan left for us along the way. At least, we assumed that's what those marks were. Now, I'm a bit suspicious that this one was left by the Blair Witch. Close call, huh?

Once we started loop two, things got interesting. In an effort to deal with the heat, we decided to pretend it was cold. We discussed warm fuzzy slippers, cozy blankets, snowball fights, and goosebumps but it didn't work: it was still hot. Probably 90 degrees according to Erin. Since we obviously had no snow, we briefly considered making dust angels. We discarded that plan when we realized we probably already looked like dust angels.

There was a lot of laughing, a few "are we there yets", and the promise of Bruster's ice cream once we were finished. Discussions ranged from how to splint and carry out a friend if she breaks her ankle to trading a hydration pack for a monkey backpack (complete with tail leash) for a certain individual who tends to be easily distracted to oh my god these mosquitos are driving me insane. Overall, today may have been one of the most difficult runs I've ever done, both mentally and physically. I credit Heather and Erin with getting me through this run. Oh, and the ice cream.