Week 29 - 11,520' (356,000')

Let's see if he can hang on to it now!

197 - 500' - roads
198 - 3,400' - Did some hill work on Shut-In's last climb.
199 - 1,220' - 20k out/back on gently rolling dirt road.
200 - 500' - roads
201 - 3,400' - more hill work on Shut-In's last climb.
202 - 500' - roads
203 - 2,000' - out/back on Shut-In.

Quite a fun week running and watching the TDF. On day 199 I was going to do a moderate 12 miles, 6 out/6 back, but really started feeling it after 5 miles. So I decided that I'd go out 10k, then do a hard 10k Tempo back. Nothing zippy, 41:00, but pretty good after the hill work I did the day before. Yes, I did run the extra 20' that day so I could have a pretty total vert number for the year.
The 2 days that I put in 3,400' were done on a 1.5 mile section of Shut-In between 4,200'-5,300' (CO folks, no laughing). During the 1.5 miles there is about a total of a 1/2 mile where it's flat or slightly down hill, so the 1,100' of climbing is done on about a mile of distance making the grade during climbing about 20%. I did 2 reps of the 1.5 mile section, then did 4 reps at the bottom/start of the climb that went 300' in a 1/3 of a mile. My only goal for this run was to never walk - mission accomplished!
With the hot weather we've been having all summer, these types of runs work out very well for using my car as an aid station.
When I finished Wed run a cyclist was coming up the steep road, Rt. 151, that ends at the Blue Ridge Parkway where I was parked. I asked him what kind of climb that was, he said it was 4.8 miles with 2,600' of climbing. After looking at a map I'm a little skeptical about that 2,600' so I'll need to go and have a look for myself in the next few days. What I'm thinking though, is if it is 2,600' then I can pick up that 1.5 mile section of Shut-In where the road climb ends and have a sustained 3,700' climb just 20-25 minutes from my home! Trying not to get my hopes up too high, but if it's even close to a sustained 3,000' foot climb I'll be pretty jazzed.

I was listening to a wide range of music on Wed. run and it occured to me that a verse in a song reminded me alot of what ultra runners might experience. More specifically I thought of FootFeathers at HR when I heard this verse. This band has more to do with Ultra-Drinking than Ultra-Running, but perhaps there are similar dilusions in each sport. So, the words, as I think I hear them from The Dubliner's "All For Me Grog" go a little like this...
I'm sick in my head and I haven't been to bed
Since first I came ashore from me slumber.
I've seen centipeeds and snakes
And my head is full of aches
And I'll have to take a path for way out yonder.