On The Loose: May 19th to 25th

Monday, 5/19--Blue Mountain summit + some wandering

5,153', 3:14

Unable to find the trailhead I was hoping for (near trail 6.02), I started on trail 3.09, made my way over to trail 6.05 and took that to the summit. One section was just muddy and steep enough that I started to slide downhill! I took trail 3.01 down a ways, but came upon a lot of snow which didn't seem like it would let up, and flipped it back to the summit and back down 6.05.

To figure out where in the world that trailhead is, I took the trail out, and ended up popping out of the bushes on Wilderness Trail Rd (I should have known). The map, however, (up to date as of 2012) shows the trail on the next road over, on Hayes Creek Rd. A more accurate map might not have helped me, since the trailhead is fairly hidden and unmarked, but it's got me wondering how much has changed in the past two years, and if I'll come across anymore mislabeled trailheads.

Tuesday, 5/20--University, Pattee Canyon, Sentinel, Pengelly

6,432', 3:12

My first day over 6k in over two weeks, and I felt it. I'm still recovering a bit from Sunday's race, so I felt kind of sluggish, but was able to keep cranking out the hills without becoming more sluggish. I'm also adapting to a new schedule, and running in the mornings off of a light breakfast, which could take a few days to get used to, but it's so damn nice to get out on the hills before 8 AM. The light is just magnificent.

Wednesday, 5/21--Pengelly, Sentinel Gulch, North Pengelly

5,067', 2:20

I was able to get out the door even a bit earlier than yesterday, running in the shade of Sentinel and South Sentinel for an hour before the sun caught up to me. My legs are coming back a bit, but I feel like I have less energy right when I wake up. I felt more energy than yesterday, and hopefully I'll adjust to this schedule soon.

Thursday, 5/22

Morning--South Sentinel

1,864', 54 minutes

An easy out and back up my backyard hill. Legs felt better than yesterday, but still lack pep.

Early afternoon--Smokejumper loop w/Jimmy

1,988', 1:22

The hottest run of the year so far, even in the shade going up Smokejumper. I ran this right after some strength conditioning, and felt better than I thought I would. I'm starting to get psyched for Old Gabe, less than a month away! I just hope it's not an alternate course due to the heavy snowpack, but if so, it should still be a good first test piece for my longer races this year.

Friday, 5/23--Three Larches Loop w/Monte

1,100', 50 minutes

I love this loop! This was new to me, and it might have been the fact that I was a little loopy from staying up all night pulling a graveyard shift at work, but everything was just so damned green. We're lucky to be on the west side of the Divide here in Missoula, it makes the trails feel a little bit more lush and coastal. And it was great to finally log some more miles with a friend from Livingston--some day he's going to beat me in a trail race, once he starts running long distance.

Saturday, 5/24

Wallman/Stuart Peak

4,250', 3:02

This run felt a little slow, but it was nice to get into a new area. In the main corridor, I bumped into some runners I hadn't seen in awhile (Kevin Davis and Adam Behrendt, from Livingston and Bozeman respectively). Above 6,000' snow started to pop up in little patches, and the trail was entirely snow by 6,500', where I turned around.

Jumbo Loop

1,332', 50 minutes

Driving back into town, I decided to hit up a quick loop on Jumbo. I'm glad I did, because I finally got to see the sheep! I felt really tired, though, and am still recuperating from doing two graveyard shifts at work. Hopefully tomorrow, going back to my regular circadian rhythm, I'll feel a little better.

Sunday, 5/25

Morning--Sentinel + University + More up and down on Sentinel

6,936', 3:16

At quite a few points today I felt like I was hiking more than running, but I managed to gut it out for a while. It's definitely been a big week, and my legs are starting to feel it. It was great, though, to see a bunch of flowers in bloom on the way up University!

Evening--Jumbo Loop w/Monte

1,603', 1:11

A loop up Jumbo and through the North Hills neighborhood. We hit the ridge right as the sheep were being corralled for the night, which was a welcome treat to see. It feels so European.

35,725', 20:11

What a week! I can't believe I hit over 20 hours. I guess that happens with a lot of new trails, a weird schedule, no day off, and several days split up into two runs. I'm pretty psyched to be getting big weeks in again, especially since the snow is melting fast now. I felt some serious lag this week, but I hope I can attribute that to a couple graveyard shifts mixed with race recovery. It still feels good to be getting some big gain in, I'm just hoping I can pick up the pace a bit now that I'm back to a normal schedule.