I think I can make it now, the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared. Actually, I didn't really feel any pain or bad feelings on our very long run today, which is why I do have increased optimism...I do think I can make it now...to the end of the Squaw Peak 50 that is. Larry and I ran for just over 5 hours. We started at Dry Canyon with Kevin, Grant, Bruce, Joe and Joe's neighbor (I forget his name now). Kevin, Grant and Joe's neighbor weren't going long so they headed back after a while. Larry and I were holding Joe and Bruce back so they went on ahead on the descent from Rock Pile to Canyon Glen. Larry and I weren't exactly sure which way to go. We maybe took an indirect path to Canyon Glen but eventually got there. We then proceeded to Bridal Veil Falls park and began the climb up Squaw Peak. Joe had given us good directions and we found "the chute" pretty easily. What a climb! We finally made it to Hope campground. At that point we'd been out about 4 hours and decided to start down and head for home. On our way out of Hope campground we came upon some Boy Scouts and their leaders carrying their coolers and gear on the long hike back to their cars. They were glad to see us and welcomed our offer to help carry some gear. It turns out it was Bishop Larry Howell and the 11-year old Scouts from the 12th Ward in our stake. I carried a (heavy) dutch oven in one hand and helped a Scout named Thayson carry a cooler with the other. After we reached their vehicles, Larry and I headed down Squaw Peak road. We eventually cut across on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and explored/adventured our way to Smith's Ditch road and down to East Lawn Cemetery. Once we knew where we were going to come out I called Karen (as planned) and she met us just as we reached the entrance to the cemetery. It was sure good to see her.
The total time on my watch was 5:03, which included all of our rest time except a bathroom stop I made at Nunn's Park. It showed a total distance of only about 17.25 miles, at about 15:00/mi pace. I feel okay about that because we ran (walked) a lot of tough uphill, and I never really pushed very hard. I still felt okay at the end of the run, and recovered really quickly. The distance was about 1/3 of the 50 miles, so at that same pace we could finish in about 15 hours. I think I can make it. Our new Nathan HPL 20 hydration packs worked out very well. They were very comfortable. The Dirty Girl gaiters also worked well. My new Saucony Guide TR 2 trail shoes were also very comfortable and I ended up with just the beginning of a small blister on my left instep. This was my longest run ever (by time) to date, a few minutes longer than mine
and Kerry's Boston Marathon adventure. I was surprised a bit by how quickly I recovered. Trail running, especially at an easy pace, is apparently far easier on my body than pavement pounding at a steady pace. The weather was perfect for running and I thoroughly enjoyed this run with Larry (and the other guys while we were with them). What a blessing it was to be able to do it. What a beautiful place we live in. The scenery was amazing.
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