The first climb hit harder than expected. Perfect running weather—mid- to upper 40s with spring finally making its presence known in the woods—but my legs felt oddly full from the start. I was not tired, just resistant. I checked my watch: the first mile was just under 15 minutes. Not great, but 29 more kilometers to go. Today was about time on feet, not speed.
I adjusted my trekking poles and settled into rhythm. The last time I used these poles, my shoulders surprised me by not complaining for days afterward—small victories. The real test would be making it through today's planned 30K with my experimental nutrition strategy: water, Salt Stick tabs, and a flask of Endurance Tap maple syrup.
The Nutrition Puzzle
By the 10K mark, I'd fallen into a steady if unspectacular pace. The maple syrup shot at my first fuel break went down easy – the hint of ginger and sea salt making it surprisingly palatable even two hours into a run. Endurance Tap might be onto something here.
Mental note: when you're a mouth breather, don't suck on electrolyte tablets. Chew them. Lesson learned the hard way.
The park loops unfolded differently today. I was trying to build a single 15K route that hit all the significant hills without unnecessary repetition. The elevation was adding up—steep climbs pushing me briefly into Zone 3 and even Zone 4 heart rate territories. I was not sandbagging it, but I was not setting any speed records.
When Your Stomach Rebels
After 20K, the pattern was clear. My pace had dropped from just under 4 miles per hour to 3.8, then 3.7. The salt tablets were getting increasingly unpleasant – the "tart orange" flavor somehow intensifying with each dose. What was more concerning was how nothing seemed interested in moving past my stomach.
I took a deliberate walking break at the 20K mark. I reset, let my heart rate drop, and tried to get some calories in. The spring woods were beautiful, but my focus had narrowed to internal diagnostics.
"Today is the day," I reminded myself. "Time on feet is the goal, not pace."
The water calculations ran through my head. Twenty ounces per 10K in these conditions seemed adequate. I was behind on that metric, too- something to remember for next time. The day was warming up, but not dramatically. Still, hydration could be part of the puzzle.
Recalibrating Expectations
As I crossed the 25K threshold, the math became clearer. My pace had slowed to 16:41 per mile average. The steeper hills were becoming genuine challenges, especially toward their summits. The 30K goal was drifting just out of reach.
Spring had arrived in the forest. New growth was emerging everywhere. Under different circumstances, I might have appreciated it more. Today, I was primarily focused on the conversation between my body and the trail, which was getting increasingly direct.
With about 5K left to my car, the decision practically made itself. This would be an 18-mile day instead of the planned 30 K. Sometimes, the body has its own agenda.
Final Stats
Here's the breakdown for those keeping score:
Distance: 18 miles
Time: 1 minute over 5 hours
Average Pace: 16:41/mile
Elevation Gain: 2,667 feet
Heart Rate Zones:
Zone 1: 18% (≈55 minutes)
Zone 2: 57% (≈172 minutes)
Zone 3: 21% (≈65 minutes)
Zone 4: N/A (≈6 minutes)
Training Effect: 4.7 aerobic, 0.3 anaerobic
Training Status: Productive
Recovery Time: 58 hours
I've got some homework to do on the nutrition front. Something about my current approach isn't clicking – it's like my stomach creates a bottleneck that nothing wants to pass through. I didn't even have my usual heavy coffee this morning, opting for a lighter cup that I thought would solve the issue like it did last week.
But that's the nature of these long efforts – each one a data point, each teaching you something new if you're willing to listen. Today's lesson: Five hours on feet and 18 miles is still a solid day, even when it falls short of the original plan.
Time to eat. For real this time.
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