Silver Fox 5k Trail Run

More like speed work in disguise. It's just so hard to turn down a local trail race. So why not.

Located in Saluda Shoals Park. A nice river trail running along the upper Saluda River. The race is a Dutch Fork XC fund raiser. That means some super fast youngsters were toeing the line. As for this youngster there was really no telling, first run all week. After recovering from last weekends quad crusher. Overall the race went well. Stayed at the door of the pain cave the whole time. Just never stepped in.
Fizzled out in the last half mile. Just couldn't catch the fella in front of me. At the same time didn't get passed either. It's the small victories that count. Then my favorite aspect of this park is the frosty dip in the upper Saluda. All worth it in the end.
22:53, 22 of 142 Overall, 2nd of 8 30-34 AG
Silver Fox 5k Trail Run

In & Out

......... is as fast as this run seemed to go from start to finish. A mid-week email jumped things off with an offer to get in a run in Pisgah. So the ball gotta rolling with pretty please honey can I go to the mountains for a run. Please please! That was Wednesday. So plans were made, routes discussed and carpooling situated. It's off to the hills for a quick day trip.

Route for the day: Laurel Mountain TH > Laurel Mtn. > Connector > Pilot Rock > FS 1206 > Pilot Cove > FS 1206 > Laurel Mtn. TH

As I mentioned before this whole run came together quick. A few blinks later I'm heading up Laurel with Cobb, wondering with the day will hold for us. After my past experience at May Mountain Marathon. Good planning of food and fluids would be the deciding factor of the fun factor of this run. Assuming a four hour run ahead of me then asses the damages for another smaller loop. That was the plan.

This run would start on a super positive note. The staring temp was 68*. Making the climb up Laurel a welcomed change of pace. All goes well till along the decent on Pilot Rock something pops me in the right calf. Hoping around "ahh something bit me" looking like some pansy. A bit of investigating as to what it was. Nothing, not-a dang thing. Still I have no idea what hit me. Epipen in hand - do I or do I wait and see. Wait and see.

Find the nearest creek and soak my calf for a few minutes. By the time we got back to FS1206, there was a walnut size knot set up on my calf. Systems check had my stomach beginning to head south a bit. Still having a good time we set in for Pilot Cove. What started as a chill trail it soon tipped up. Then my walk pace set in. With the stomach cramps starting and the end was near. Really!By the time we hit 1206 again to the car was hell. My system was not amused. Walk jog walk some more. Shuffled in around 3:30 with 16+ miles. My run was over. However Cobb had some more training in mind. So he set off on another loop. While I stayed at the car and caught up on some ZZZZZZZZ.