Mount Hood Scramble

    As busy as life has been I am falling behind on logging my exploits. Just a quick bit tonight since I need to hit the sack to be well rested for a 10K tomorrow evening, The Summer Solstice 10K. I think it is an excellent way to herald in summer. As discussed in a past posting, I will never again be blase about a pending race, no matter the distance, I plan on going into this one well rested, and well fueled. My latest escapade, the five-ish mile Mount Hood Scramble went of without a hitch, despite being roused at 1:30am by my pager calling me to the station. Having a 2 hour block of work in the middle of the night can wreak havoc on sleep patterns. But it was fine, I still felt well rested and strong. It was a glorious run through rugged terrain, with more icy water crossings than I could count. At 4600 feet above sea level, the air was a bit thin for the lungs of a valley floor denizen, I sucked wind for the first half mile or so, but then I settled in and felt great. I don't know if the glyco-loading helped, but g'damn, my legs felt fantastic.  The terrain was more rugged than any adventure race to date: glacier scraped rocks, soft sand, forest floor, glacier melt white water fords, dense underbrush, hills of varying pitch, mud, and even a few patches of snow. Definitely the most technical run I have done. And I abso-freaking-lutely LOVEDLOVEDLOVED IT!  As I was running I realized there was not a moment of the drudgery I sometimes feel on road runs. I was alert, nimble, quick when the terrain allowed. My mind was alert, my eyes were sharp, my body was enjoying the challenge. I love trail runs, more than even I could have possibly imagined. I got there late and started a full 15 minutes after the pack, but I was passing people within the first 20 minutes. I passed, and was never passed. I admit, the soft sand drained me a bit, it was a bitch, no doubt. And I am a little footsore from running on rocks. I really do love adventure runs, more than anything. Once this season is over and the half-Ironman and marathon are in the bag, I am switching my focus to more intense, and longer adventure runs. There is a fifty miler that I am going to attempt next year. I don't think I can run fifty miles, but I can damned well run with walk breaks.
    So much for a quickie. Time for sleep. I want to run well tomorrow, and have a full day of work, on my feet, to get through before the race. But I am well nourished, and plan on being well rested.