14 miles on the AT!

On Saturday morning, I conquered 14 miles on the Appalachian Trail. Years ago, I could run 14 miles without feeling like I was conquering anything. These days? 14 miles is the longest I have run in nearly a year!

I was nervous to see if my body could handle the distance. If it could handle the distance and recover okay, I planned to run the full 30k distance at the Table Rock Race in Marin County, California.

The plan was to meet Kristen and Anne at Scott's Farm at 8am and do a six mile out and back over the mountain to Route 850. I showed up a half hour beforehand so I could do a mile out and back before they got there.

The first mile is very flat, so it was a nice warm up for what was to come. At 8am on the dot, Kristen and Anne pulled into the parking lot. It was great to reunite with some trail running friends I hadn't seen in a long time! I used to run trail with Kristen and Anne all the time. Luckily, they are the type of friends you can lose touch with but then pick right back up as if no time had passed!

Kristen led the way at what I thought was a pretty fast clip. Or maybe I was just tired from already running two miles? I could keep up fine, it was just faster than I would have run alone. The first 2 miles aren't really hilly, but then there is a gradual uphill that turns into a steep uphill climb to the top of the mountain. We did some hiking at the steep parts, as usual.

To me, going down is worse than going up. There's nothing that makes my body feel old and creaky the way running downhill on a trail does! It's kind of weird that once you go down the other side of the mountain, there are still some more climbs to go until you exit the woods into a big meadow.

I hate running in fields and meadows! The sun beats down and I am afraid of snakes in the tall grass! We made it to Route 850 but I was running out of steam. All I had in the morning was a protein bar, but I felt depleted because I went to the bathroom so many times before I started running. I was drinking lots of water, though.

The girls stopped with me while I bent over. My lower back was starting to hurt. You know that feeling? All I wanted to do was just bend over. It felt so good and I got a little relief. 8 miles done. 6 to go!

Off we went, back through the meadow and into the woods. Just getting back into the shade made me feel better. After running downhill for awhile, I was looking forward to doing some climbing.

The climb to the top went rather quickly. On the way back down, we passed a couple hikers. "Watch out," one guy told us. "There was a black snake on the trail about 30 meters back there but he was making his way off the trail."

I HATE SNAKES!!!!

If I had been with Paul, I would have made him carry me on his back. I'm not even kidding. I contemplated asking Anne to give me a piggy back ride but I figured that was not a polite thing to ask a friend you hadn't seen in a couple years. Instead, I just whimpered and kept saying things like "I hate this!" until I was sure we were more than 30 meters away from where we saw the guy.

The thing is, we probably ran past like 20 snakes while we were out on the trail that day. I mean, I didn't see any, but I bet you they were there... hiding. That's the one thing I hate about running and hiking... the thought of seeing a snake!

It's odd, there's an abandoned car in the woods.

How did it get there?

The last two miles were rough. My back hurt and I wanted to stop and bend over, squat, or just walk a little bit. I could have, but I didn't. I kept trucking along. I think in the race I will stop and do those things if I need to, though.

I was soooo happy to see the parking lot. I squatted down with my butt nearly on the ground. It felt soooo good. "Do you think I can drive home like this?" I asked my friends. I dreaded sitting down in the car because I knew when I stood back up, everything would hurt!

I was slimy, salty, and dirty, just the way I should be after a trail run. I went home, showered, foam rolled, and stretched. I immediately felt a lot better but not completely.

The rest of the day I was just SPENT. Tired, achy... almost a little feverish feeling. Maybe I didn't drink enough? I thought I did. I figured all I needed was a good night's sleep. I was hoping to feel refreshed and less sore in the morning.

The next day I felt 100 times better! I was relieved. That was my last long run before the race. This coming weekend I will do 8 miles on the trail, which should hopefully be no problem!

Are you scared of snakes? Tell me a scary snake story!

What mileage these days make you feel like you CONQUERED something? (Honestly for me, it's like 8 miles right now!)

What's your favorite trail to run on?