On The Crazy Train

AUGUST 11, 2012

With just 71 days until Tussey, I suppose it's time to get serious about actual trail running. Laps around Burke Lake were starting to seem too tame, so I jumped on the Nicolas Crazy Train to bang out an 18 miler in the wilds of Great Falls National Park in McLean.     

Crazy Man, Adele, & the Two Jens

 I broke down and bought a Nathan hydration backpack, since that's what all the cool kids have, and started mulling over trail running shoe options. I wasn't sure how much I'd like running with a backpack, but it carries 2 liters of water and has some handy dandy pockets for GU, cellphone, etc., so I thought I'd give it a shot. And hey, what better time than an 18 miler to break in something new? 

Still smiling a couple of miles in

Nicolas' assessment of our planned route:  not too technical, but with some good climbs. Translation to Sally Language: it's going to be a biotch.

We started out on a 5.5 mile loop heading south along the river and soon enough we were high-stepping over rocks and roots, scooting over boulders, and trying not to twist an ankle or bust our butts. This was like Kili training but with my running shoes on instead of hiking boots!  

The rocky trails were annoying, but the scenery was amazing.

Ahem! What are you doing in the water, Nicolas? He claimed to be cooling off his legs. Sure...whatever you say.

After the what's-it's-name-trail ended, we took a sharp right and shimmied on our butts down a steep muddy drop-off onto the aptly named Difficult Run Trail. (Leave it to Nicolas to take me on a trail with the word "difficult" attached to it!)

We ran--er, stumbled across a sign warning the trail had "sustained flood damage and is steep and narrow...use caution." Oh joy.

But with Nicolas leading the way,  we managed to survive Difficult Run without incident. Pretty soon we were running through the woods and back toward the parking lot. 

Me: Which way are we going?
Nicolas: Oh, there's a trail somewhere over there...
Me:  Somewhere? Um, are you sure you know where we're going? LOL

Hmmm.....Here we had to hop over a guard rail and cross a busy road. I don't see a trail here.

 
But alas, there was a trail.

Pretty soon, Nicolas had run so far ahead that he disappeared from view. I had no idea where I was going but Nicolas, being the creative guy that he is and all, arranged sticks in the shape of an arrow to point the way. Everyone made it back to the parking lot to refuel and then headed back out, but this time we went north along the river.


This trail wasn't as difficult as the southbound trail - hallelujah! And the whole thing was heavily shaded, with views of the Potomac River to our right. After a couple of miles the trail joined up with the Potomac Heritage Trail.

I ran a total of 4 hours but only made it 14 miles or so. I was wiped OUT! Making those Tussey cutoffs is going to be hard!