Ran first 2/3 of Shut-In Trail

THE WORKOUT:
Biked from Stony Bald to Hard Times Parking Lot
Ran w/ Pack from HT PL to HT aid station area
Ran to Stony Bald

Sunday I hit it pretty early getting to Stony Bald parking lot on the BR Parkway around 6:00 AM. I stowed 4 water bottles in my backpack and got all bundled up for the cold ride down the mountain. I hid 3 of the bottles in the woods at Bent Creek Gap, Chestnut Cove Overlook and Walnut Cove Overlook respectively. A highlight of the ride was descending down into a lake of fog that accumulated below 2400', hiding the valley floor.

The Arboretum was still locked up but I rode around the main gate and in to Hard Times parking lot. There, I thankfully used the porta-john, locked up my bike and changed into light running garb. It was cold but I knew I'd warm up fast going up the mountain. It was just barely getting light when I started running but I still took a headlamp for the first bit. When I hit the outer boundary of the Arboretum I ran into the surrounding 15' high chain link fence with a locked gate. You're technically not supposed to be in there before daylight. Mid way into sizing up the task of scaling the fence, I heard the rumble of an automobile engine coming up the FS road behind me. I dashed off into the woods and hid behind a tree barely in time to escape view of the forest ranger in his truck. Luckily, he was just there to unlock the gate and left. What great timing!

I stopped and stretched a bit at the intersection of Owl Branch Trail and once again to stash my backpack and headlamp in the woods up at the Hard Times terminus. The rest of the run went well. I kept my heart rate in check fairly well when I thought about it (excluding steep inclines), ate about every 30-45 minutes and took a mouthful of liquid every 8-10 minutes. While I didn't necessarily burn up the course, I did sustain a good pace without need to rest and had gas left in the tank when I finished the 12.3 mile run. I think I'll shoot for 14-15 next week.

Only 3 weeks to go until Shut-In!