Return to New England. And some tough heat. Last week of base before more specific and harder training for the fall.
Monday: 6 Miles- Westerly, RI
Ran from home in the late evening after being very tired post travel day. Hot and humid, did not feel so good. Through Champlin and some roads north of Airport I haven't been on in a while.
Tuesday: 10 Miles- Richmond, RI
Arcadia dirt roads but a new loop doing the dirt roads Summit (which I hadn't been on before) and Blitzkrieg as opposed to the usual Exeter roads (Frosty Hollow, Plain). It was a nice loop but not as nice as the Exeter ones and more paved.
Wednesday: 8 Miles- Stonington, CT
Barn Island Mixer- out on the smooth fire roads, did the usual lower Pawcatuck road loop and then return through fire roads. I like the Barn fire roads as it's a good non-technical soft surface option. Not long enough for a full dirt road run though. Felt very comfortable on this one and ran a bunch of mid-6s. Pushed the last few minutes around 5:30 pace which was hard so have a lot of fitness to be gained.
Thursday: 10 Miles- Charlestown, RI
Different route in Burlingame- up Kings Factory road to Vin Gormley then the driftwood drive dirt road loop, back on roads. It was very humid and the deerflies were awful but fortunately I felt pretty good. Big fan of road/trail mixers, keeps it interesting with the surface changes.
Friday: 8 Miles- Charlestown, RI
Typical Ninigret aimless wander to get mileage in. Humid again but did not feel so good.
Watched Blessing in the evening. I would like to come back to the race, just didn't make sense with low fitness at this point this year. Hopefully get in some quality training over the next year and go for a PR here.
Saturday: 13 Miles- Stonington, CT
Started at Mystic Y but explored some new roads to the Northeast rather than doing the typical routes. Some nice quiet roads in there especially Dean's Mills road. Pretty hot and was quite dehydrated/tired finishing up.
Sunday: 11 Miles- Groton, CT
Made a great loop in Groton going down through Groton Long Point (great views) and then into Haley trails before doing the full Groton X-Town trail. The trail is mostly fun but gets very technical at points. Felt good.
Weekly Total: 66 Miles
Weekly Highlight: Some fun runs exploring some new local areas.
Weekly Lowlight: Hot week where I didn't feel great on other runs.
Movies Watched: *Casino Royale, The Gray Man, *Dirty Harry
*Rewatch
Good week of easy running. Final week of reestablishing a base post-ankle sprain. 5 week of mileage- 56, 57, 72, 63, 66. Only hard efforts were the mountain races at beginning on month and only a few long runs. I think it's good to establish some aerobic building before getting into workouts. Much harder and much more injury risk to go right into workouts after being hurt and taking time off.
Next block will be getting fit- start to do harder efforts and getting in consistent long runs + mileage in the 70s. Also some races. Not quite at the stage of starting to do specific workouts- just mixing in harder efforts first to get used to running hard again. A lot of WTAC events and other races in this period so just used those as workouts.
Realized a life-long goal of traveling to Scotland this week. Amazing place, really lived up the hype.
Monday: 7 Miles- Edinburgh, Scotland
Normally Scotland is much cooler than New England, but we unfortunately got here during a heat wave (83 degrees at 6:13PM start). Went out for a run exploring Edinburgh and Holyrood Park. The roads were not great to run on as in any big city, but Holyrood park was really nice. There was one road loop going around the park (about 3 miles) half of which was closed to traffic. Popular loop with many people walking, running or biking. In the middle of the park were large, rocky hills with many hiking trails around them. Between that and some old ruins, the park was very impressive and attractive especially so close to downtown of a major city.
The way back was nothing special- went through another park called the meadows but not so great for running (a northeast comparison could be Holyrood Park=Central Park, The Meadows=Boston Common). Hugged the left of a bike path in there and we got a shoutout from a biker "wrong lane, dickheads!". Started and finished the run along a canal path which was just okay and the canal itself was surprisingly very filthy.
Tuesday: 12 Miles- Musselburgh, Scotland
+8 Miles Walking
Awesome run. Humid but cooler going in the morning. Took an uber out to musselburgh lagoons, where we would take mostly bike/canal paths back into downtown Edinburgh. While not all of the paths were great for running and there was still some busy roads, a lot of the scenery/architecture feels like classic Britain/European style that we don't have in the US. Went along the coast for a bit, although the coastal views here are not as good as New England's.
One thing I noticed was the dogs here are much more well behaved than the U.S. No owners frantically trying to call their dog back to no avail, no struggling to hold their dog back on leashes and no barking. Most of the dogs were off leash and never bothered to chase after anything. In fact, we saw several dogs on the canal paths that were without their owners as in the UK, dogs just go for runs on their own whenever they feel like it.
8 mile walk in the afternoon exploring the sights on Edinburgh. Probably the highlight of the trip for me. Saw many cool items including:
1. Holyrood Park. One of my favorite places the entire trip, including Iceland. Sure it's not as scenic as the more rural areas or anywhere near as large, but just having steep hiking trails and rock slabs less than a mile away from a bustling metro was amazing to me. Generally, hiking/trails don't go hand in hand with a big city but Edinburgh is an exception. Good views of the city, architecture and surrounding hills/ocean. Such cool and unique rocky outcrops that I found awesome.
2. Royal Mile. A mile walk along sites and old history in Edinburgh. Kind of disappointing, very pretty street but crazy crowded and not a whole lot worth stopping to check out in my opinion. Still worth it but pales in comparison to Holyrood.
3. Edinburgh Castle. Huge castle, pretty cool. Slightly disappointing as it felt like more of a museum than an old ruin. Extremely crowded/touristy. Comparing to some other castles from the previous Europe trip in 2014 (England, Italy) it was not as impressive or interesting. Still great, just had very high expectations and it was more good but not quite mind blowing (I preferred Tower of London and Castel st Angelo in Rome). The view from outside the Castle was actually more impressive because you could see the massive scope of the castle and huge walls which you couldn't inside it.
Worn out by the end with lots of walking and a long day. But Edinburgh is truly a phenomenal city to visit so this was awesome. I like walking through any city with nice sections, but the huge parks and historical sites set it apart from many (even Boston, one of my favorite cities, has fantastic historical sites doesn't have anything like the Castle, Royal Mile or Holyrood).
Boston is a good U.S. comparison to Edinburgh. Similar size (600K+), great cities to explore by foot and so many charming historical areas. But Edinburgh is really old history which has some awesome architecture not really found anywhere in the U.S. It's also a much better city to run in and much closer to hilly or mountain trails.
Wednesday: 9 Miles- Pentland Hills Regional Park, Scotland
+ 2 Miles Walking
Mapped out a route going over some of the southern hills here. About 3,000 feet elevation gain with several good climbs (600-1000ft) over open green hills. Not as scenic as other places later in the trip but still some nice views and some interesting highland cow and sheep encounters. I felt kind of lousy early and my mood was really killed when we had to turn back and lose a huge chunk of our route due to closed sections for military use. I twisted my good (left) ankle towards the end but not really any issue. Interestingly only had two ankle twists on that one all year and both basically fine. Guess a sprain takes a weaker ankle and/or a lot more force. If I can get both ankles healthy, I can survive twists like this.
Gassed at the end and disappointed to change up the route but a very cool area.
On the way out of the Edinburgh metro, we stopped for lunch in Queensferry. Probably one of the coolest towns I've been to, European style old and tight streets, and then a great lunch along the water and a bunch of neat bridges.
Short walk/hike into Bruar Falls. Technically it's part of massive Cairngorms National Park, but is just a shorter wooded intro walk. Pretty area, but nothing like the rugged high peaks of the parks that are true Scottish Highlands. With a slight sore throat, I realized I was probably getting sick.
Thursday: 9 Miles- Scotland
+ 2 Miles Walking
Near inverness in Northern Scotland but I don't know if we were in a town anymore. Explored some really cool forest with thick pines everywhere. Much more like Northern New England and Canada than Scotland. A little bit of trail but mostly dirt roads. I would have really enjoyed this route but my fears of being sick were fully realized and I completed crashed at 5 miles. Basically a miserable jog to the end.
Unfortunately, my sickness really dampened my enthusiasm and enjoyment of the rest of the trip. I felt either sluggish and out of it or simply terrible and it was hard to enjoy such fantastic sights when everything was so exhausting.
Good for me that the rest of the day's activities were short walks. Some great spots.
Urquhart Castle. Great ruins along the beautiful Loch Ness.
This wolf marking was in a lot of spots.
A spot just off a highway- Loch Cluanie. Very pretty.
Eilean Donan. Epic views from the outside, but the inside was more like a history museum which isn't so much my thing (much prefer looking at old ruins than reading text about clothes/food/etc).
I wrote this Castle ranking in my Strava notes:
1. Edinburgh Castle- 8/10
2. Urquhart Castle- 7/10
3. Eilean Donan Castle- 6/10
All cool in their own ways. Urquhart had the most impressive ruins, most fun to explore within. Edinburgh was by far the biggest and had massive walls. Eilean Donan looked awesome from far away but the interior was boring.
Friday: 5 Miles- Isle of Skye, Scotland
+ 6 Miles Walking/Hiking
Would not have planned a 5 mile run mid-week in Scotland but it was the most I could do with how I felt. Honestly lucky to get out for a run at all. I actually felt okay for much of it- we got on a nice dirt road with amazing views. I crashed at 4.5 miles this time but running half a mile weak is a lot better than 3.5.
Unlike yesterday, I didn't have easy walks to coast on during the sickness. Sickness was at its peak and the combination with some tougher hikes made the morning miserable. Even worse, the three major helps in reducing how bad I felt- water, food, ibuprofen would not be available until after the first hike.
First hike was Old Man of Storr- 3 miles with 1,200 ft of gain. Really nothing that challenging but when I had zero energy and weak, achy legs this was a miserable time. A shame too as the trail and views were epic. For the first time ever, every single person on the trail passed me (not kidding). I had no power uphill and every step was done with agony as I forced myself up the mountain. I secretly hoped the distance was shorter than suggested but no such luck. After what seemed like an eternity of suffering, we hit the top. Took some incredible views in much more like Iceland (barren, green, sea) than what I'd expect of the UK. Then the downhill. Fortunately I didn't need much power on the downhill and kept a more normal pace.
Bailed on the Quiraing as there's no way I had any more walking in me without replenishment. It fogged greatly as we drove away so just as well. Then filled up on water, ibuprofen, lunch and the difference was night and day. Next went to the fairy pools and I felt much more myself. More like an impressive river/falls but not really amazing/must see. Good drive back to the bigger peaks area.
Saturday: 12 Miles- Scotland
+ 1 Mile Walk
Part 1 a 2 mile shakeout on canal paths where we stayed (Banavie). Very nice crushed gravel path but I really had to go to the bathroom so it was kind of stressful. I would have loved to explore the town some more but we were doing Ben Nevis and I didn't have a clue how I'd get through with the sickness so I just went with the shorter run to get the gunk out.
Next up- Ben Nevis. 10 Miles RT with 4,500' gain. So pretty tough and a lot of steep, hard to run type terrain. I felt surprisingly good first two miles which were mostly running- especially the first one which was gradual. Then it got a lot steeper and rockier which meant power hiking. After about 3 miles the open views were replaced with a thick, cold and windy fog. Made it a little longer before switching to my long sleeve. While I'm a really slow hiker, the run went pretty well for how sick I had been as it seems I turned a corner overnight. It got a bit more gradual towards the top but still challenging to run as it was extremely crowded and quite technical. Absolutely frigid at top, explored the summit markers briefly before heading down.
This was the kind of descent you would need to be a fantastic technical/mountain runner to be comfortable as I was often shuffling to get sure footing. Just consistently very rocky throughout and not in a way that was easy to just send it down. That combined with the crowds meant a lot of slow sections. After a mile or so, the sickness caught up with me as I started to really bonk. Took a gel and some ibuprofen to hopefully stave this off. I got my foot caught on a rock which feels pretty bad with the ankle being so stiff/inflexible. The lower descent was a little easier as it was more step-like than rock gardens. But not smooth enough to go fast, just not as slow. Finished up. Last big activity of this trip.
On the way out, ate at a sweet cafe in Fort William, which looked like another amazing town. Checked out Glencoe Lochan in a short hike, drove by amazing views on the way to Glasgow, and a brief walk exploring the southern end of Loch Lomond National Park, another amazing looking park we didn't get to do much in. Stunning lake, took off my shoes and walked in a bit. Was tempted to go for the full swim but it was a bit chilly for that and I didn't want my clothes to be drenched.
Fort William
Loch Lomond
Driving out of Glen Coe
Sunday: 8 Miles- Glasgow, Scotland
Felt okay but chest hurt a lot at the beginning. Couldn't hit much faster than high 7s for pace either despite not feeling terribly weak anymore. This was an okay route through some canals but generally didn't have the same charm and architectural beauty as Edinburgh. The exception was a 2 mile stretch through Kelvingrove Park which was awesome.
End of trip- couple of flights home. We got a bigger plane back from Reykjavik to Boston which had an aisle row (three seats in the middle, two to each side of the aisle) making it much more comfortable. Was able to get up and use the bathroom frequently. I feel like whether or not flying is enjoyable depends on where you sit in proximity to the bathroom/other people.
Weekly Total: 63 Miles
Weekly Highlight: Exploring Scotland, a region of the world rich with culture, history and stunning natural beauty. It absolutely lives up to the hype.
Weekly Lowlight: Getting sick and a few days of trip where I just felt terrible. It wouldn't have been a big deal back at home but it's not fun when in such a nice place.
Movies Watched: *War Dogs, Death on the Nile, In the Heights
*Rewatch
Since this was a bigger trip, I'll add some extra thoughts and country comparisons.
-Edinburgh is an amazing city. Between the old architecture, many epic historic sites, running paths and the amazing Holyrood Park, it's absolutely one of the best cities I have ever been to. I'm not sure if I would place any U.S. Cities above it. That being said, I still probably prefer London. The European/UK standards are just so high.
-The food in Scotland was consistently excellent. While I wasn't expecting bad food or anything, I was surprised just how many meals were delicious. Even the worst meals of the trip were still solid. While the Edinburgh food was varied and top notch, it was still quite good in the more rural areas. Yes please to Paninis, Sausage Rolls, Cullen Skink and Smoked Salmon.
-The mountain trails are really difficult. With steep grades and extremely technical sections, running over big peaks in the Scottish Highlands is only for the brave. I would do terrible in a race here.
-Isle of Skye has unique beauty. The green and clear landscape felt much more like Iceland than anything I expected of Scotland. Great views of massive mountains, cliffs, waterfalls and the ocean.
-The Scottish highlands are epic. So many completely open, huge peaks that form stunning valleys. Throw a bunch of big lakes there and it becomes a beautiful landscape. I'm not even sure if New England can compete with that kind of natural beauty. The Isle of Skye was really cool, but the Highlands was definitely the highlight.
-So much more to explore. I feel like we touched on Edinburgh well and hit the highlights of Skye. But there are other big islands to go to such as Orkney and Isle of Mull. We also barely hit Cairngorms and Loch Lomond which you could spend a lot of time in. I crossed the following items off my google maps want to go list: Scotland, Edinburgh, Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Loch Lomond, Skye, Glencoe, Ben Nevis. What remains is: Fingal's Cave and Skara Brae (much more remote on islands). I'd like to come back to spend more time in Loch Lomond and Cairngorms as well as exploring the other constituent countries + Ireland. Lake District (England) is one of the top items on my bucket list.
-The UK is an amazing country. Culture, history, museums, cities, charming towns, mountains, coastline, waterfalls, trains, national parks. It is my favorite country and every trip is excellent. I hope to visit many more times in the future.
-Every dog in Scotland was really well behaved. Zero barking, growling or chasing. No owners struggling to hold or call their dogs back. Just happy dogs, content to play and run, not bothering anyone. If only it was this way in New England.
-Almost everyone in Scotland that talked to us was extremely friendly. Very easy to feel welcomed with how consistently polite and friendly everyone was. Such a different culture than back home.
Country Rankings
I'll rank U.S. (home), Iceland and the UK as those were the three I went to this year. Keep in my mind these are subjective ranking and based mostly on my experiences.
Natural Beauty:
1. United States
2. Iceland
3. United Kingdom
Keep in mind all three countries are stunning, the bar is just extremely high. The ranking would look more favorable for the UK including many more countries.
Overall:
1. United Kingdom
2. United States
3. Iceland
Again, a very high bar. Iceland is great to visit and does well at many important things. But it's just too rural (so few people) and the winter is bleak (dark for so long) to be higher.
Friendliness:
1. United Kingdom
2. Iceland
3. United States
UK is far ahead of the other two. The Icelandic people were not especially friendly but were helpful when asked. I suppose you could say the same for New Englanders.
Trails:
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Iceland
While Iceland has an incredible landscape, there aren't that many trails. Many beautiful spots won't have trails or will be limited in what you could do.
Food:
1. United Kingdom
2. United States
3. Iceland
It's probably unfair to give UK the edge over the whole of the US but the food was just great throughout. Not a bad bite in there. Iceland food isn't my favorite- some of the local dishes are really good but they don't have the ingredients to make classic dishes of other cuisines.
Urban Running:
1. United Kingdom
2. Iceland
3. United States
Generally most of us think of cities in the United States as not being great places to run. There are exceptions (DC and San Francisco have huge park systems) but often they are a far busier option and less enjoyable than a quieter area. Europe is so much better with many more sizeable parks and other paths. So many route options without having to spend much time on busy streets. While the running was great in Reykjavik with bike paths all around, it's not really that urban and more of smaller city. But enough to be ahead of the United States.
Beaches/Coastline:
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Iceland
U.S. easily owns this category. So many miles of smooth sandy beaches and many miles with beautiful rocky coasts. Both the UK and Iceland have a lot of coastline being islands but I feel like it's a lot accessible than the U.S.
Safety/Cleanliness:
1. Iceland
2. United Kingdom
3. United States
Visiting Icelandic cities is (literally) a breath of fresh air. Too many big American cities are just dirty and polluted. Safety-wise, most violent crime is very low in Iceland. The rape rate is disappointingly high however. Crime is not great in the U.S. I feel the UK is in between the two, but probably closer to the U.S.
There are probably more categories I could come up, but that sums most of the key points. Overall this was on the best trips I've taken. I'd say the best but the sickness dragged down the second half of the trip for me. Looking forward to more traveling in the future and definitely returning to the UK at some point.
After having a week+ to think about Fall races post-ankle sprain, I decided it was best to stay off racing soft surfaces until next year. With originally 4 more XC races lined up, it's a big change.
Original XC Schedule:
September 11- GBTC XC 5K
September 30- Paul Short Run (8K)
October 2- NYRR XC 5K
October 23- Boston Mayor's Cup (8K)
November 6- USATF-NE XC Championships
One my goals of the year was to break 26 minutes in the 8K at Franklin Park. It's an iconic course, perhaps the only well-known XC course in New England and it would feel great to accomplish on a challenging course I'm familiar with. XC has been a struggle but sub-26 would make feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it. The other races were more to get a full season and I didn't have specific goals there. GBTC was really supposed to be just a reintroduction to XC with low expectations so not having a good result isn't terribly disappointing. Paul Short is a fantastic XC course, one of the few that is a single lap for 8K and their open race is actually very competitive. The NYRR meet is a 5K at Van Cortlandt which is a historic XC venue that I'd love to race at. The idea of a 10K at Franklin Park for the USATF-NE champs sounds awful but I've never raced XC 10K and it would be nice to get a PR on the boards for that plus it's nice to compete in New England championships when I can.
Overall the only big goal race was the Mayor's Cup. That's not to say I had low expectations for anything else but it's the only one that is a disappointment to have to take off the schedule. I thought about getting rid of the rest, giving the ankle some time to heal and doing it anyway but I just don't want to take any risks and potentially harm some November goal races that I could be in pretty good shape for. Paul Short is certainly one I was looking forward to but I definitely wouldn't be in top shape for that. Most of these races will likely come back onto the calendar in a future fall as I still have XC goals and ambitions.
A huge positive about cancelling the XC portion of my fall racing calendar is training and racing will be far simpler. Originally I thought I'd get one mid-week XC interval workout and then a LR with blocks at HMP. But during race weeks, which is a good chunk of the calendar, I'd have to get rid of one of the hard efforts and have many weeks where I'm only working on XC strength and not road. Now I have three less races/race weeks, freeing up several weeks to recover from race efforts and focus on quality training. It's fun and tempting to just race all the time, but the best results come from a mix of quality training weeks and race weeks. Without any need to do XC workouts, I can fully focus on training for a great half marathon. Now I can incorporate moderate (MP) blocks into the LRs which are less strained and more enjoyable than HMP while still having mid-week workouts focusing on running HMP pace as much as possible. This approach makes me feel more confident rather than trying to train for two disciplines. I do think being successful at road and XC is possible in the same season as much of the paces are similar and many of the workouts will make you stronger for the other discipline, but it likely would result in less success than simply focusing on one.
So here is the fall schedule, which you can also see on my updated racing page. For the fall season (end November), I went from 10 races to 7 which is a more manageable amount. While I still have some long blocks with racing every weekend, I now have a much shorter average race distance (taking out XC 8Ks and 10Ks) which is easier to recover from and the two weeks after Detroit Half off, which will be a good time to get in some last good training in before the final race block. I think 7 is a good number that keeps me excited for races without overdoing it. I'll have enough weeks without racing to get in good training but also enough races that I'll have plenty of opportunities to do well. 7 is still probably a high number for some people in two months but I find it takes me a little bit to develop race sharpness. Basically sometimes I feel fit going into the first race in a while but not having experience feeling the burn of racing in sometime I'll make tactical errors or be more likely to give into fatigue. But many times I'll see huge improvement after the early races as those first races will give me insight into improvements I have to make and sharpen me up for more important ones.
I'm fully committed and signed up to these, it just feels better to sign up without worrying about price increases, being sold out, etc and just go forward in training with the mindset of knowing exactly what your race schedule looks like rather than maybe this, maybe that.
October 2nd- Ocean Road 10K: Narragansett, RI
This was originally going to be a major race weekend for me with Paul Short friday and NYRR XC on Sunday. With those out and others, this seemed like a great opportunity to get in a local 10K. The point to point concept is neat, it looks like a cool race, and it's pretty close to home. I also would like to take down my 10K PR (33:48) and this would likely be my only chance until the spring.
October 8th- Hartford 5K: Hartford, CT
Before racing the New Haven 5K, I realized I had not run a road 5K since Fall 2020. It's a classic, fun distance that won't take as much out of you as longer race. With several opportunities in the area to take down my road PR (15:55), this looks a fun event and a good final fast tune-up for Detroit Half.
October 16th- Detroit Half Marathon: Detroit, MI
The major plan for the fall is two half marathons: Detroit in October and Philadelphia in November. Detroit will be more of a fitness check in to see if I'm on track and what I have to do for the next 5 weeks whereas Philadelphia is the goal race of the entire season. Originally, I was a little nervous about doing two half marathons in the middle on an XC season but with XC gone, it feels like a reasonable schedule especially with two weekends off post-Detroit. The course is interesting as it goes into Canada and back traveling over a Bridge and a tunnel. It's pretty flat but there are tight turns getting on and off of those ramps going across the border. My main reason for doing this is that Dad is doing the full so it's really an opportunity for this year to get in a different race as I probably wouldn't be interested enough to do it myself later on.
October is fitness testing season to me- definitely expectations going into the race and decent fitness but not quite November which I will have high hopes for.
November 5th- Dash to the Finish Line 5K: New York, NY
Besides this race and Detroit, I mostly picked distances I want to do well or races that fit well in the schedule. Here, the weekend was open with USATF-NE XC out and this race looks awesome. It'll be a bit pricey and become a travel race for me, but with so many great bucket list races, this was an opportunity to cross one off while probably being in good shape for it. Who knows when the next time this one will line up again with the race schedule (based on 2023 and 2024 goals, it probably won't those years). This course looks much more challenging than the other road 5Ks I'm doing with a net uphill on the point to point course. Should be a blast.
November 13th- Big Steps 5K: Needham, MA
A flat course serving as the USATF-NE 5K championships, this isn't terribly far and is a great opportunity to cut down the 5K PR hopefully from some of the previous 5K while also getting in a good final tune-up for the goal race.
November 19th- Philadelphia Half Marathon: Philadelphia, PA
The big one. Second half since 2014 so I hope to come out with a respectable time that I can feel good about before a marathon next year. This is a fantastic event and awesome course, so I'm really looking forward to it.
November 24th- Manchester Road Race: Manchester, CT
I've been itching to get back to Thanksgiving racing for a while now, but most years I've either not been in shape or had some injuries. Right now things are looking for me to resume Thanksgiving race with a really competitive classic.
Will end the season, some time off and then get back into Indoor shortly. I've been looking over potential indoor and outdoor meets and will post schedule with thoughts before then. There are a lot of open meets in indoor but it looks like I'll have to run unattached at college meets for outdoor (which many New England competitions don't allow).
So great to return to Iceland after not flying since March 2019 and not really ever leaving the Eastern seaboard since 2017. Wrapping up mini-White Mountains trip on Monday.
Monday: 11 Miles- Waterville Valley, NH
Getting in another NH mountain run and bagging some 4000 footers before heading home. This time was the Tripyramid Slide Loop- getting 2 4Kers. This was one I had wanted to do for a while and it is iconic as getting up and down the peaks is very difficult on the North and South slides. Then as a contrast about half the distance covered in the loop is on a gradual dirt road.
Parked at Livermore trailhead- about 45 minutes from the campground just outside Lincoln. Disappointed about the parking fees but fortunately I had service to pay that on my phone. First 3ish miles on dirt road went fine but I was pretty tight and heavy. Next mile was a bit steeper, another half mile on dirt road then onto single-track. More challenging with 500ft gain instead of 200ft but still runnable, even on tired legs.
Then the real hard stuff begin as I approached the North slide- a brutal section: .7 miles, 1,400ft gain, 39% average grade. I found the start to be both exhausting and kind of sketchy. There were parts so steep up rock slabs I had to pick my route carefully as it would be easy to fall and hurt myself. Lots of awkward jamming myself against rocks to get leverage and boost myself over ledges. Then I'd take a short break because I'd be super tired. After 1/3 of the way, it opened up a lot and got a little less steep. Became a choose your adventure type where there were rock piles in a bed of scree and you could pick your path. The safest route was to the far right as there were a bunch of trees to grab for support where as you'd be taking your chances in the middle as the rocks could slip away easily. I felt much more comfortable here and alternated being able to hike on two legs and using my hands when it got steeper/sketchier. But not really scrambling anymore. This part was fun and with a group of people taking the safer route I used that as motivation to get up faster then them on the less stable rocks. Eventually got the top and had a short but steep hikeable section to the summit.
Disappointing summit of North Tripyramid- asked the hikers at the top if it was the summit because it was really just a random spot in the trees. Probably one of the worst 4,000 footers I've done so far in terms of the summit. I was hoping the ridge trail over the other summits would be runnable but found it to be technical and awkward. Sometimes it's cool being in the pine forest above 4,000 feet but this one was really just okay, especially compared to other white mountain trails. Middle and South tripyramid were slightly better with some viewpoints that were decent but overall not the most exciting summits. Next up was the south slide, a half mile descent dropping 1,000 feet (-38% grade). I thought I'd be able to run this slowly but the scree and steep gradient made it pretty slow and closer to a shuffle and then stopping to figure out the next move. Would take a bold runner to just send it down this one.
Start of South Slide
There was some steep stuff after the slide ended that was hard to run but it shortly turned into a very runnable single-track through the woods. This was an enjoyable longer section and pretty fast (for mountain trails) at -11% grade (I ran 8:08 pace for the 1.7 miles). I did awkwardly overextend my inflexible ankle joint and had some partial twists which doesn't feel great but the brace prevents from being a disaster.
Got the last bit done with some sub 7s. Overall I found the North Slide to be unique and pretty cool, but the rest of the loop was mediocre and there isn't much for views. Nice to make some progress on the 4,000 footers though as that gets me up to 27.
Note at time of publication: I will end 2022 with 27 four thousand footers. Was hoping to get up to 30 in the last few weekends of September, but ankle issues have forced me to avoid uneven surfaces recently, especially technical mountain trails. Will hope to get healthy and make some more progress next year.
Video below:
Went swimming to wash off before coming home in Wellington State Park in Bristol. Newfound Lake was beautiful, Southern NE lakes just don't even compare to Northern New England. It was pretty crowded but the comfortable water temperatures and fantastic views made up for it.
Tuesday: 9 Miles- Exeter, RI
Ran in the evening in Arcadia, 80 degrees. I sort of missed the acclimation to hot conditions and deerflies as I hurt my ankle just when it was getting hot so I was missing runs or doing shorter runs when it got hot or avoiding the heat by going to the mountains. So having it hot and lots of deerflies felt miserable not feeling either in a while. My achilles also felt sore/weak from a lot of elevation last few days, not really a fun one overall.
Wednesday: 9 Miles- Groton, CT
Haley-Bluff extended Fire Roads loop. Hydrated/fueled well for this one and while it was pretty hot at 82, I felt much better and it went by quickly. Zero stops/difference in moving and elapsed time which is satisfying.
Thursday: 6 Miles- Westerly, RI
Not an enjoyable run. Up at 4AM to get in a run before the flight to Iceland. We had looked at running near the Boston airport but the logistics were tougher as we'd have luggage and need to shower. I did an OAB barefoot beach run- kind of miserable. It was super dark so I'd step on rocks that I did see which did not feel good. It was also kind of scary running in such low visibility- I'm not a fan of running in the dark. It went by really slowly then the way back was better as there was more light.
Friday: 15 Miles- Reykjavik, Iceland
Cool run. Ran from our hotel after sleeping in and having breakfast. A surprisingly high amount of bike path made the actual road running limited. I mapped out a couple routes and settled on one that went 12 miles onto an island and back. I wanted a medium long run as I didn't feel ready for a true long but needed to get used to running longer. Low 50s and drizzling which felt chilly after not experiencing that for a while. Decided to go short sleeves though.
Uneventful first few miles then turned onto some roads where I got confused. Ended up making a bunch of wrong turns into dead ends and adding mileage. For the last year, I've thought my Coros navigation is basically useless as all it does is beep if you go off course and shows the map at full scale which doesn't help with anything. Today I accidentally found out you can zoom in which shows your current GPS track alongside the downloaded one. Completely changes things as now I can rely fully on this. Having figured this out, I didn't go off course much more but had already added some extra mileage. The part on the island was pretty cool. Some very nice views of the water and background mountains. There were a couple of technical sections that felt sketchy to me without my brace. The last bit was overgrown and really narrow so I alternated walking and running. The birds in Iceland are mean and seemed pissed to see me. Either that or they were having loud verbal arguments with each other. Either way, they didn't attempt to assault like last time in Iceland.
I was a bit tired on the way back with the extra mileage and some decent climbs. The weather helped me keep it together. I took a wrong turn despite the navigation. There were two lanes on a bridge, I took the left assuming they went the same way but I passed my turn with no way to get to it and had to reroute around. Got back pretty hungry and depleted.
Saturday: 8 Miles- Thorsmork, Iceland
I was not looking forward to this one as we had to wake up early and take a long, uncomfortable bus ride to a remote area to watch Dad's race. I was pretty tired most of the day and didn't really feel like running. The lunch was pretty good which made me feel a little better. I started just after 4PM and made a loop on the nearby trails. Just a half a mile in my sprits were lifted. While the views were not anything special from the ground, there were fantastic vantage points up this mountain/hill and amazing otherworldly views.
I'll let my video and pictures below tell most of the story. Most of the climbing in first three miles, went slow due to tired legs and stopping to film. Trails in the middle/end were more runnable but in European (and maybe Western US style) the trail have steep drop offs which I found sketchy and took it really easy on.
Sunday: 13 Miles- Thorsmork, Iceland
While ideal training would have been an easier, flat shorter run this was an opportunity to explore more of the area and get in some more trails. So I mapped out a loop crossing a river that I didn't yesterday. This was more one longer gradual climb with a few shorter ones. The gradual climb was nice and pretty runnable but my legs were absolutely shot so I completely struggled.
Was happy to get to the top and begin the descent, but the next few miles of trail were among the sketchiest I've ever done. Short bit to start it off but scary at -40% grade, all scree and a even steeper grade just off the trail that would be very dangerous to fall off. I did not attempt to run any of this and it was surprising given how gradual and easy the other trail was. I got through it okay but the next section was over massive solid blocks of snow, one again with a steep slope (akin to walking across a short section of ski slope, although nowhere near as steep) which was also nerve-wracking to cross given the lack of traction I'd have on the snow and that if I slipped I'd slide very far down. I had an audience for this crossing who must have thought I was moron as they all had crampons. Then came another section. After a short amount of snow crossing sliding down the slope would now lead to me to the gravel/continuation of the trail. Attempting to walk/run down the sloped snow seemed far more dangerous than crossing the slope sideways, so I got down and slid on my butt which I underestimated how uncomfortable that would be with the friction.
I was happy to get past this part- but over the 2-3 miles there were multiple other sketchy snow crossings and many times the trail got dangerously close to a steep, "you'll die if you fall" drop off that I was not pushing on at all. I had a couple painful partial ankle twists this day and the previous that were saved from being full sprains with the brace. There was a canyon-like formation for this section and a lot of pretty waterfalls and streams (including a couple of fast moving stream crossings that were tricky to navigate). This ended up being a slog as there were so many tough obstacles preventing from being runnable when just turning around the original safe would have been safe and fast. I got very tired from cumulative fatigue and being out there so long and was happy to finish up the route.
Took another video which tells more of the story:
That was a wrap on Iceland but it was awesome to explore amazing Thorsmork. Iceland doesn't have a ton of trails, probably given the remoteness and lack of people but the ones it does have are usually stunning and this was a great experience.
Weekly Total: 72 Miles
Was shooting for 65ish, maybe even lower but too many runs where just had to explore Iceland more while I was there.
Note on Icelandic food- the lamb soup was awesome as well as the croissants but generally I don't think the food is great. There's a few signature dishes that are really good, but generally a lot of stuff is bland.
Weekly Highlight: Exploring Thorsmork on stunning trails.
I normally won't post about a race separately as I keep everything in weekly log. I like the flow from Monday to race day and what does through the week leading up to the race. But I needed a separate post to address what I felt was a major event- DNF'ing my first ever race.
I knew one day, down the road, some obstacle would come that would be too difficult to overcome during a race and I'd drop out. I suspected something along the lines of horrible fatigue or injury during some newly attempted distance (first 50 miler, first 100K, etc.).
When I start a race- two things are musts in my head: 1) don't give up and 2) finish the race. Every once in a while, I'll be racing so badly and feel so terrible in a race that the first one goes. But the second one has always been a sense of pride. Don't drop out, no matter what. Don't be that guy. Of course, when I feel terrible or haven given up during a bad race, I'll want to drop out. No one wants to actually run that last third feeling like garbage. But the thoughts of "drop out, it'll be easier" are ones of weakness and the fear of the shame felt when actually doing it has always been enough to get the finish line.
In early May, I was tested like never before as that fear was barely enough to stay in. I didn't drop out, but struggled seriously with feeling terrible early with the longest distance I've ever raced on track and getting demolished by the field. I was already absolutely humiliated by finishing where I did but dropping out would be that extra bit of shame and poor performance so I gutted it out. Given I ended the season a week early and was unable to run for 3 days due to injuring my Achilles, I'm not sure if it was the right decision. However, I lived another day without seeing a DNF.
I figured if I made it through that, I could make it through anything and I wouldn't see a DNF until what ever brutal ultra awaited me way down the road.
But on Sunday, September 11th 2022 at age 22 I dropped out of a race for the first time ever. It wasn't some intense mountain ultra. It was a 5K cross country race. It was a strange scenario just pulling off to the side, judging where the least people would see me and I could have the shortest walk to my car. It was nearly set in stone. There were still some thoughts of staying the race- maybe I can jog it in. But the last few minutes I had completely stopped racing and was really just thinking about what the best place to drop out was. When I noticed there was not much attention on me, I wasn't around/impeding anyone, I simply stepped off and the race was over.
It was a weird feeling after never having dropped about before and always gutting it out. The next 20 minutes I watched people in the race I was just in, the race I was supposed to be in. There was definitely some shame- after being tough for 10+ years of racing I had pulled off quickly in a short race. I had even joked with my friend driving to the race there was no way either of us would drop out, and now here I was on the sidelines with the DNF eating my own words.
About 200m into the race, I sprained my ankle badly on a rock. It's still a bit of headscratcher as I've never even twisted it in XC and that ankle was completely healthy. I dropped way back as it was really difficult to run on and painful. More importantly though, I could feel something was seriously wrong and racing was no longer my top priority.
After being unable to run the next two days, I felt completely justified in my decision to drop out and any shame that had loomed over me the last day was completely gone. I had a serious injury and continuing to run on it would have significantly worsened things. I absolutely feel I made the right decision and would make that decision again in the same situation.
I now know the hanging on to the idea that DNF'ing is shameful, embarrassing and should be avoided at all costs is ridiculous. I believe that in a shorter race, it is far better to gut out what non-injurious challenges one is facing and finish the races then drop out, but there are several times when dropping out will do much more than finish.
The two significant ones are 1) injuries- it's not worth making things worse and delaying training/future races even further, 2) saving yourself for something else (longer races). Races like road marathons are grueling efforts and generally require a reset after, so the amount you can do in a year is limited. If you know it's not your day at all, you can drop out and then crush your PR at a different race in a few weeks. The fitness is still there, but without having the fatigue of 26.2 under you, a new opportunity awaits. A great example is Galen Rupp's 2018 spring season. Like many others, he struggled and dropped out in the windy, rainy and frigid Boston Marathon. Just 3 weeks later, he ran a 3 minute personal best within 30 seconds of the American record to win the Prague marathon. I seriously doubt he regrets not slogging it in for a poor Boston finish and waiting until the fall for his next race.
Overall, I'm completely at peace with the DNF. It was tough mentally for a little bit and still feels a little wrong now, but I think sometimes there are just times when it's better to drop out than finish and that was definitely the case there. The injury was a far bigger concern. I hope not to DNF ever again if possible, but hopefully have pushed out the idea that avoiding DNFs is a must when it can be quite reckless in certain cases. I wanted to address my DNF as it was not easy nor fun and was not something I thought would come so soon, but in this case there wasn't much else to do.
Here it is. Highpointing year 3 recap. This one has been in the drafts for quite a while (probably 8 months or so). I finished the videos far earlier than 2018 yet this still took me an additional 5 months to publish.
After having nothing materialize in 2020 for highpointing, I felt had taken a huge step back. This was a big goal of mine in both 2018 and 2019, and despite travel limitations of COVID-19 (national parks not opening until very late into the summer), I was disappointed and felt less attached to my highpointing project going forward. With no job commitments in Summer 2021 (more of an unfortunate thing, but it did open this window for highpointing), I saw an opportunity to go and get the southern appalachian highpoints and make some progress before I toss this goal aside for good. Technically this is year 4 of me going for my highpoints but my third year of doing any highpoints.
I don't really remember the planning phase of this, but it was tight and last minute. I was also worried about eye discomfort I had been experiencing the prior two weeks that caused dryness and itchiness that made wearing contacts unbearable and could potentially derail a trip that involved me driving thousands of miles. The tight window came from me being in Vermont the weekend prior to this for the Catamount 25K, so just giving myself Monday morning to pack then heading down South early that afternoon. This would be my first big camping trip solo and my first visit to a lot of the area in the South. The full week format plus managing all the driving, hiking, camping, meals, etc. on my own was a new challenge so I gave myself a bail out option on Day 5 after the virginia highpoint to head home as the next group of highpoints would force a multi-day drive back and that's where most of the stressful/long driving days were. I ended up only booking camping through Thursday night in case I wanted to use that option.
Day 1- Monday June 28, 2021
States: Rhode Island, Connecticut (Drive Only), New York (Drive Only), New Jersey, Pennsylvania
300 Miles Driving- 6ish hours
5 Miles Running
0 Highpoints
After my Mom generously bought me a bunch of food and other supplies for the trip at Walmart, I packed everything up, loaded up the car and was off. It was a miserably hot day and with poorly functioning A/C, this first day of driving wasn't very fun, especially combined with the fact that I barely spent any time at home between trips. The route took me directly through New York City/GW bridge. While I found this very stressful driving the only other time I've taken the highway through NYC, I found it to be no problem this time other than waiting in traffic and heat in the triple digits. The A/C was just enough to keep me from sweating, but I was very, very warm. I went for a 5 mile run in Plainsboro, NJ around 7PM. The lack of sunlight at the time helped, but with a 104 degree real feel, this was really hot and I was drenched in sweat. Fortunately, 5 miles was not quite long enough to put my body in a bad place. Got to the campsite around 9 in the dark at French Creek State Park, PA. Didn't really have much to eat that night, but figured I'd have a nice breakfast. I even slept in sweaty running clothes as I didn't really want to navigate over to the bathrooms in the dark.
Trip checklist
Day 2- Tuesday June 29th, 2021
States: Pennsylvania, Maryland (Drive only), West Virginia, Virginia
300 miles/5 hours driving
8 Miles Running
0 Highpoints
Woke up just after 7am to get my run in and explore this large state park. While I'm generally lazy and sleep in most days where I don't have to get up early, I find it easy to wake up early while camping. I'm usually excited to explore the area on a run, the warmer weather is easy to get going in (versus the cold/rain of other season) and I won't stay up especially late as I'm tired from the days activities and don't have access to electronics. Anyway, a very nice trail system. PA has got to be one of the best states for trails, just so many massive forest regions with vast trail systems. Some fun steep ups and downs with technical spots. I had to stop a bit to figure out some confusing intersections and ended up cutting down from 10 as I was tired at the end and it was quite humid. I had a minor ankle twist towards the end.
Love the lush greenness of Summer deciduous forest
Already 75 degrees at 7AM, hot
Hopewell Furnace NHS, an adjacent property
Showered, ate and got out of there. Overall a very nice campground. There were literally hundreds of giant dead bugs all over the ground (cicadas?).
French Creek Campsite: Spacious
Another 100 degree drive to Shenandoah National Park. I stopped at the I-81 WV rest area to make a call to set up electricity for my fall apartment since my roommates were too incompetent to do it. I was unpleasantly surprised to pay an entry fee (either $20 or $30) to enter the National Park as I had already paid for camping but then pleasantly surprised the temperature ticked further down and down as I drove up skyline drive. Went from maybe 104 degrees at one point (this was during a heat wave) to 78 degrees at the top. 78 degrees is still hot and uncomfortable, but a lot more tolerable than 104 (and the A/C started working). As a National Park campground, this offered much smaller sites with a lot less privacy (basically grass fields divided into small campgrounds rather than large dirt woods sites).
Big Meadows (Shenandoah NP) Campsite at 3,550' elevation
Deer were everywhere on skyline drive
Day 3- Wednesday June 30th 2021
States: Virginia
Driving time: 2.5ish hours
9 Miles Running, 6 hiking
0 Highpoints
Woke up around 6:30am to make the hour drive over to Old Rag Mountain trailhead. While the vast majority of hike/runs in Shenandoah National Park are manicured and not technical at all (nor very steep), Old Rag is the one of the few peaks in the park that is not only quite technical, but requires a good amount of scrambling. Additionally, most of the hikes have direct access from Skyline drive, significantly reducing the length needed to hike to a summit (starting already from 3,000+ feet) but Old Rag is located down below at 950' starting elevation. These factors made this a run of interest. The trailhead was probably only directly 5-10 miles away but took much longer having to go all the way down skyline drive and then drive the distance back over to the trailhead.
The first few miles of the run were more gradual but still fairly steep with 550' and 700' of elevation gain respectively. This was comfortable running. The next mile and half or so to the summit was steeper and a challenging route, with many large boulders to scramble and some narrow gaps to go through. A lot of fun. The descent had about a mile and half of singletrack where I had a painful sprain pretty shortly in. I ran in caution mode (slowly and carefully) until I got to the last few miles- which were on rocky fire road. Fun loop, but unfortunate sprain. Very nice views at the top.
Note on Ankle Sprains: After writing this more than a year later, I have now have some experience ankle sprains and recovery. In 2019, I sprained my ankle badly in Barn Island and was unable to run for a full 6 weeks but when I returned to trails I didn't sprain it again for almost 2 years. In 2021, I had an awkward roll then would resprain it every few weeks or so like here. The plus side of the frequent ankle sprains is that you can continue running. You lose stability and set back the recovery time but won't have to spend days to weeks icing frequently and barely able to walk. Unfortunately, it's hard to know when your ankle will be able to return to running.
I ate some food before attempting a nap. My site was completely in the sun and felt way too hot, so I just bailed and drove to the visitor center to get some hiking in. I did three mini hikes:
1. Dark Hollow Falls- 2.4 Miles, 740ft gain. Solid waterfall but nothing special. Crowded and warm.
2. Stony Man- 1.5 Miles, 340ft gain. Great views.
3. Hawksbill- 2.2 Miles, 500ft gain. Great views with a bigger lookout/open area than Stony Man. Highest point in the park. All three hikes manicured gravel trails, nothing technical.
Day 4- Thursday July 1st 2021
States: Virginia
Driving time: 5 hours, 250 miles
9 Miles Running, 9 hiking
1 Highpoint- Mt. Rogers (VA)
Early run (6AM) ahead of a long drive to the VA highpoint. Ran 8 miles from the campsite, mostly an OAB on a smooth fire roads. With so many miles of fire roads and non-technical trails with gradual climbs, this is a fantastic National Park for running. Really enjoyed taking the extra night to explore this place more thoroughly and would be happy to come back. I was to happy not to roll my ankle today.
Got gas which actually had its own station at 3500ft in the campground visitor center, showered and ate before making the 5 hour drive on I-81 to Grayson Highlands State Park. Don't remember much of that.
Low 70s starting the hike at Massie Gap.
I made my way up the trail into surprisingly beautiful open fields with fantastic views. While I like much of the forest trails frequently found on the East Coast, one thing our region lacks is a lot of open highlands. This was a great skyline area but unique from above treeline as it was really just high meadows. I felt warm and sweaty, which I find uncomfortable when hiking but not running. About a mile in, I went past the highlight of the hike- more open fields with wild ponies. Really cool, was able to get some nice footage of this in the video below. The clouds looked dark in the background, foreshadowing the incoming storms.
The trail got much rockier and went in and out of sparse woods/growth. The fields here had big rocks in between and visually was really pretty and different from anything I had seen before. Out of nowhere, it started absolutely downpouring and I was quickly soaked. Thunder and lightning came out which was a little scary. I was happy to have most of the hike to the summit from there in a denser pine forest with protection from the rain which went in and out. The final portion to the summit was in a very dark and dense forest with a wooded, no views summit. Got the summit and got out of there.
Thick pine forest just before the summit. So many interesting environments.
Mt. Rogers summit
The rains on the way back made the previous rains feel like a drizzle. Monsoon style rain, just buckets of water coming down. I did not feel comfortable as I was starting to get cold (poor preparation on my part, didn't bring warmer clothes not expecting this), visibility was low and the thunder was so loud at points my ears were ringing. I hadn't seen anyone since the very beginning so I was surprised to see people in the pouring rain also out hiking. There was a lean-to and it probably would have been wise to hang out there but I kept on going. After a sketchy half mile or so, the thunder and lightning left and it was just pouring. I enjoyed the way back with the cooler weather and the clouds starting to part to have partial views again.
Very wet trail
Cow did not seem happy to see me
Finished out the hike. My phone ended up getting wet and would not last the following week (my photos came out very blurry on following activities because water got into the camera). Went over to the campsite and while it was still raining, I set up the tent quickly in a brief pause from the weather but had contemplated just sleeping in the car. I had to put down several towels because the bottom of the tent got pretty wet. I felt fine sleeping the rest of the nights but this was the least enjoyable.
Day 5- Friday July 2nd 2021
States: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
With this being a very busy day doing three highpoints and 2-3 hours driving between each plus another 2-3 hours to the campsite at night, I decided to skip the run. I don't like doing that but I needed all the time and energy I could get to make this an efficient process of getting the three points and not getting into the campsite at 1AM exhausted. This is probably the only scenario where I'd skip a run (aside from planned recovery)- having a big day of hiking/driving and needing the time/energy. I do find it is a difficult balance to get in runs while also having longer hikes/drives- probably best to do a short shakeout pre-hike if possible. One of the advantages of getting in a mountain run versus hiking- your main activity is your run. The trails here were very technical anyway which would not have been good for my ankle. I was also so far out from XC and any important race that the lost miles would not be a huge deal. Overall, it was a slight disappointment to take the day off but made sense.
Filled the tank up and got going around 6:30AM. I found this area of Virginia to be really sketchy and run down. I had no service and had to just estimate my way south based off what was loaded on the map. I went the wrong way for a bit, was able to get some service to load the route and lost maybe 20 minutes before heading into North Carolina. Interesting drive through some bigger towns/mountain cities and then a good portion on the Blue Ridge Parkway. So many more windy mountain roads down South as opposed to in the Northeast. Definitely roads you have to pay attention on and not be distracted.
View from Blue Ridge Parkway
Getting higher up and closer to the trailhead, it was getting foggy and it became clear there wouldn't be any views today. Made the right turn up the Mount Mitchell Auto Road and parked about 2 miles short of the summit. The beginning of the trail was basically a stream with running water moving down it. I was disappointed my waterproof hiking boots were wet from yesterday's rains as I could have used them here. The trail had some ups and downs but didn't make any major gains in the first mile. The longer climb was in the second mile, pretty steep with big rocks and roots in a dense pine forest. Emerged towards the top out to a cement walkway with a gentle grade to the summit. There was a large platform with a center area with other viewable mountains labelled, but no views in the fog. I jammed my phone into a nearby sign to take a timed photo as I was the only one there. Made my way down then took a different trail dropping an additional 500' before making my way back on a manicured trail/dirt road to the parking lot. Saw a cool deer. Was able to utilize the visitor center wifi to upload my activities as there was no service. Overall, this was okay but I'm guessing the views were probably pretty great on a clear day. The forest was nice and some good challenging terrain but nothing too special on the whole.
A 2.5-3 hour drive over to Sassafras. I don't remember anything of this drive. I initially was confused where the trailhead was and lost some time before going the wrong way, was swarmed with deerflies before correcting my mistakes and fortunately getting on a deerfly-less trail. Took the foothills (?) trail to the summit which again was one that you could have driven to the top. Really beautiful trail- non-technical smooth singletrack through tall deciduous trees and ferns. Good climbs. Felt like Western New England (think mountainous MA or CT). Temperature was warm in the 70s and it didn't feel great like the 50s as I got quite sweaty but also can't complain considering I was expecting much, much hotter.
An enjoyable trek through the beautiful forest before eventually coming out to the road, crossing before the last steep trail part to the summit. Views were pretty solid but not remarkable. Better than your typical CT/MA mountain but not as nice as Northern NE mountains. 7/10 overall. Like Mitchell and many others, man-made structures on the summit/viewing platform. Walked around quickly, took in the views, cool boundary line between NC and SC as this was right on the border. Then walked down the road for half a mile and back the trail the way I came.
Great non-technical trails
Nice views, photos starting to come out foggy
Next up- Drive to Georgia. 2-3 hours again. Parts of these legs went a bunch of different state roads being such rural, mountainous areas. Some pretty parts, but mostly just middle of nowhere vibe. I took the easy way out for this one and drove to the top. Not my style, but I had another 2-3 hour drive back into NC for camping and it was cutting it close with it getting dark. I'd for sure get in late and miss the light if I did a full hike.
Parking lot with summit tower in background
Pulled into the lot of Brasstown Bald- steep road up but not too sketchy or anything. Paid a small fee in an envelope then lent my pen to a large Indian family who had not paid but were watching me to see what others were doing. Steep but short trek up to the summit on a paved path onto a large observatory/lookout station. I came out to the top and views were shockingly awesome- on par with some Vermont/Northern NE mountains and sweeping in every direction.
Glorious summit views
Back down, drive over to the smokies. Drove past a really pretty lake and some nice rich mountain areas which was surprising and a contrast to some of the poorer areas of GA. Missed check in and the campsite- Deep Creek in Great Smoky Mountains NP. Was able to get stuff set up just before dark, ate and got to bed. Crowded NPS campsite but much more privacy than Shenandoah.
Day 6- Saturday, July 3rd 2021
States: North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky
Driving Time: 400 Miles, 7 hours
8 Miles Running, 7 Miles Hiking
2 Highpoints- Clingman's Dome (TN), Black Mountain (KY)
Went out for my run before 7AM- the thousands (probably) of miles of Great Smoky Mountain trails right there from the campsite. Found a really non-technical horse trail and took that around. Mostly non-technical stuff with some good climbs going around waterfalls and creeks. Took down camp before heading over the showers before realizing there were none which was a little depressing.
Campsite in NC
Drove over to the visitor center and up to the ridgeline. Parked 3.5 miles out from Clingman's Dome. The AT here is right on the TN/NC border and juts in and out of each state. I started in North Carolina even though I was getting the Tennessee highpoint. Second state I've done that as I started in West Virginia to get the Maryland highpoint.
I can't remember this one too well but not a ton of variation on the 3.5 mile trek out. Some good ups and downs but never super steep nor was it as technical as NC/VA highpoints. Clear day but no views through the thick forest. Unlike NC and VA, despite being very high up at 6000'+, there was all sorts of plant growth rather than the usual thick pines. Lots of pines as well, but mixed into the deciduous forest and lots of smaller growth on the floor (ferns, shrubs, etc). About a quarter mile out from the summit I started to hear a lot of chatter.
A lot of vegetation types for 6,000 feet up
Came out to the summit tower building which was so packed. It was a quick in and out for me as the place was a zoo- unlike any of the high points yet. There were some nice views- but I hardly remember them as the crowds were such a distraction. Got out of there, hung out for a bit in the Gatlinburg visitor center trying to figure out what I was doing for lodging that night, then headed to the KY highpoint.
Good views, but packed tower
Long hours on hot TN highways before going back into Virginia and up a windy, tight mountain road. I found it a little sketchy, but it was nothing compared to the black mountain summit road. Turned the corner into Kentucky and then made the turn up the summit road. It was a rough dirt road, pretty steep in points (up to 15% grade) and my car was struggling. I got nearly to the top when there were a bunch of people blocking the area- probably 10 or so stereotypical southern rednecks in ATVs. I waited for my turn, for a truck to come through and then the rednecks gave me the okay to continue. The last stretch was short but nerve-wracking as there were large rocks and washouts and I genuinely didn't know if my car would make it. Fortunately got up and over, very relieved to make it to the top. Got my video and walk around and got the hell out of there. Worst highpoint by far- just a radio towers, some fences and absolutely no views.
How to take photo without getting my shadow in?
As scenic as Katahdin?
Nighttime drive through KY highways to Lexington, where I stayed in a hotel. The first town I went through coming down from the highpoint was probably among the sketchiest most-run down places I've ever been through- would not want to stop there. Fortunately, the highways were pretty good here, weird situation where every single car seemed to be going the exact same speed so no need to pass. Felt like there were far less drivers here (the south) who would just go 100mph and weave in and out of the lanes than the Northeast. Didn't feel too uncomfortable driving and easier to get to a hotel in the dark versus a campsite. It was a pretty cheap hotel but did the trick for a better nights sleep.
Day 7- Sunday, July 4th 2021
States: Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey (drive only), New York (drive only), Connecticut, Rhode Island
Driving Time: 1000 Miles, 15 hours
0 Miles Running, 1 Mile Walking
2 Highpoints- Hoosier Hill (IN) and Campbell Hill (OH)
Interesting way to spend 4th the July getting two boring highpoints and then a 15 hour drive home. No run for today, didn't love taking two days off in the week but the long drive was going to be testing and the least fatigue I could have possible would be best. First up was Indiana, about 2 hours drive from Lexington. Got up and left around 6AM. While I felt almost shockingly decent the vast majority of the drive I was really tired on this drive and felt like dozing off multiple times. First time to Indiana (as well as first visits to TN and KY), can't say I was too impressed. Drove through some extremely run-down towns in the second half of the drive. Just before the highpoint was super rural roads with a lot of small bumps (steep 10-20ft hills) before pulling up to basically a dirt road that served as the parking lot. This was stereotypical Indiana- rural, barns and cornfields as far as the eye could see. There was a little bit of woods where the highpoint was which made things more interesting. Easy in and out to get the HP- not much, but not the absolute worst either.
Hour drive to Ohio HP to wrap-up the highpointing trip. I was lazy in researching the access as the parking lot was closed only on Sunday. The place was so empty and it'd be a quick in and out, so I decided to take the risk and park there. The next problem was the gate was also closed, but another highpointer was finished up and explained there was a gap in the fence he went through. This highpoint is essentially a plaque/statue on a school campus. So walked up a small hill past the school building and rounded the corner to get HP #20. Some nice signage but not the best views in suburban OH right next to busy roads and buildings. Preferred Indiana for sure but glad I got these two done instead of going straight home. And the next leg- a 12 hour drive, 750 mile drive home. I refueled on McDonalds (new hardest item to eat while driving- pancakes) for breakfast and buckled down for the long, long drive. While this sounds absolutely miserable, I fueled and drank constantly and actually felt decent. I caught up on a bunch of running podcasts and somehow never really got that tired. The Ohio part sucked and there were cops everywhere pulling over people just over the speed limit. The pennsylvania part was surprisingly nice- rural and nice rolling hill scenery. Getting back into NYC area it got crowded again but I was in the home stretch and powered through.
Highpoint trip over- 8 new highpoints, explored 2 new national parks, 3 new states and about 2500 miles of driving. Overall it was well worth exploring some really nice areas in the Southern Appalachians where I had never been before. The highlight was definitely Virginia- both Shenandoah and Grayson Highlands were awesome and this would be area I would most like to return to given how impressive it was and Virginia is much closer than the other states. I liked the NC mountains but was disappointed at the lack of viewpoints. Georgia was surprisingly pretty and would be an area of interest, but I didn't really love of the crowds (and lack of views) in the Great Smoky Mountains and found it to be overrated. Not much to say about Tennessee (yes, technically part of the GSM are here but the mountains are on the border and make up so little of the state), Kentucky, Indiana or Ohio- there are some nice looking areas I didn't visit but overall these states only have a little bit of natural beauty and a lot of really bad areas.
It was great to get the experience of doing and managing this trip on my own which went successful. Never totally bonked on a hike or a drive and never came close to crashing in a lot of driving hours. The two worst parts were the rainy night camping in VA and driving my car up the Kentucky dirt road but I got through both. I think this was a good test for doing longer highpointing trip, which I think should go well.
Having now done a good chunk of highpoints, 20/50 or 40%, I'll rank them below. The ranking will take into consideration views, summit and trail options to the top. I've also added a rating of 10 to generally show how they stack up to other mountains/scenery.
Highpoint Rankings (Worst to Best)
20. Black Mountain, KY
Not much to say here. It's not a hiker's highpoint and there are not only no views but you have to drive up a tough dirt road instead taking a single-track trail to the top. You are rewarded with views of a shack and a radio towers, possibly some ATV-riding redneck friends. I felt uncomfortable throughout and not like I was in natural beauty, which is a shame for a 4,000+ foot mountain.
Rating: 1/10
19. Campbell Hill, OH
Another one I think most highpointers wouldn't be praising. Nobody likes Ohio and certainly not suburban Ohio to begin with, but with so many buildings around and restricted access it really takes you out of the highpointing feel just being so close to civilization.
Rating: 2/10
18. Ebright Azimuth, DE
I would say this is a neutral highpoint. It doesn't make me angry like Kentucky or feel as bland as Ohio. But it's basically a plaque on the sidewalk. Marginally better than Ohio since Delaware is better than Ohio and the access is easier but not one to get excited about at all.
Rating: 2.5/10
17. Hoosier Hill, IN
This one is more interesting than the last being more rural and it was interesting for me to see the Indiana landscape of cornfield after cornfield while not being pancake flat with the rollers. Having the actual highpoint in a patch of woods is nice too because unlike the bottom 3, you can look around and pretend you aren't so close to so many man made things. I didn't dislike this one but would never recommend to a non-highpointer.
Rating: 3/10
16. Jerimoth Hill, RI
This was a close one with Indiana- Indiana is far more rural giving more solitude where here you park on busy 101. But the approach trail is longer and actually nice through the pine woods which is probably nicer than any woods in Indiana. Kind of lame for New England, at least Indiana and Ohio never had any expectations going into it.
Rating: 3/10
15. Mt. Davis, PA
This is not an exciting highpoint by any means despite being in a significantly hillier and wooded region than some of the previous ones. It gets a lot more points being the first one to have an actual walk and trails across the parks. It's by no means an extensive system and you can still drive to the top but at least it's not just another 5 minute walk. The views aren't impressive but it's better than no views, there are some nice signs around.
Rating: 4/10
14. Hoye Crest, MD
First one with some decent challenging hiking at a fairly steep grade. The trail isn't anything special but there's some nice signs at the top and a decent views.
Rating: 5/10
13. Mt. Frissell South Slope, CT
Improved views upon anything so far and connects to quite a bit more trails than others below it. The terrain and area is nice but the trail going over this high point gets so overgrown that it's not enjoyable at all.
Rating: 5.5/10
12. Spruce Knob, WV
The views from this one are actually quite good and better than some I've ranked ahead. But it's another drive up and the options for avoiding that are poor- there's only trail and it's supposedly poorly marked/hard to follow. A pretty mountain highpoint but not much of a hiking one.
Rating: 6/10
11. Sassafras Mountain, SC
Solid views and while there isn't much for loop options, you can do an OAB to the summit of various lengths on the Foothills trails which is an enjoyable hilly and non-technical trek through a great forest. Okay summit- developed and a road to the top.
Rating: 6.5/10
10. High Point, NJ
Surprisingly great views for NJ and connects to a large trail system including the AT which are technical and fun. It's a great place but another with a road to the top and not a big enough mountain/hill to rank higher.
Rating: 7/10
9. Clingman's Dome, TN
This one is difficult as there is a huge trail network within the National Park and so many options to the top as well as being the 2nd tallest mountain on the list- on paper, it should rank higher. But while the trails are nice, I didn't find them as nice as big pine forests (there are some pines but a lot of deciduous growth) or alpine skylines (more of a Northeast thing). The top is extremely developed with a road to the top and the summit tower, the only place with views, was so packed when I went that I just got out of there quickly.
Rating: 7.5/10
8. Mt. Greylock, MA
I actually did not catch the views here going on a foggy day but I've heard they're quite good. What I did find impressive is the huge trail system- so many options to the top with many pretty pine forests. Could easily make multiple trips here and explore new areas each time.
Rating: 7.5/10
7. Brasstown Bald, GA
Might be unfair to rank ahead of Greylock as there are only a few trail options and the top is very developed, but the views are absolutely stunning here and one of the few southern highpoints that rivals some of the Northeast views. The big summit building's observation deck has outstanding views in every direction. The other features don't merit a placement this high, but the views and scope are probably in the top 5, possibly top 3.
Rating: 7.5/10
6. Mt. Mitchell, NC
Not as many trails as Clingman's Dome but didn't feel quite as developed/busy (it is still developed), trails felt more belonging to a high mountain range (thick dark pine forests). Overall a pretty cool place and huge mountain. Unfortunately I did not see the views as it was very foggy but I imagine they would be excellent.
Rating: 8/10
5. Mt. Washington, NH
Mt. Washington is a difficult one to rank as the summit is consistently pretty crowded due to the development and the road to the top that can take away from the natural beauty. But there are dozens of trails options, all ending in fantastic above-treeline alpine terrain with phenomenal views. It's a great mountain to hike, it's just that the summit isn't the best final destination.
Rating: 8/10
4. Mt. Marcy, NY
While the above-treeline on Marcy is shorter than Washington and slightly less scenic, there are still fantastic panoramic views, some very nice smooth rock walking and massive amount of pine forest below. The best part of Marcy is how isolated it is- regardless of which direction you come from, it will be a long, challenging hike through the wilderness and the summit will be truly earned as well as isolated.
Rating: 8.5/10
3. Mt. Mansfield, VT
Mansfield is semi-developed with a ski resort on its slope, a gondola and a dirt auto road. But these don't feel nearly intrusive as the traditional auto roads and summit building as the summit won't usually be as crowded and still at least some hiking to get to the top. The views are very nice although they don't feel as vast/high as some of the other mountains. The trail options here are great with some really challenging climbs with technical bits and a smooth open rock slab section of the long trail.
Rating: 8.5/10
2. Mt. Rogers, VA
This one had the most diverse/varied sceneries of any- thick pine forest, semi open area but some small patches of woods, open grasslands with fantastic views and wild ponies, and rocky outcrops that involved scrambling. The rain may have ruined my phone but made the experience more enjoyable. A fantastic hike that doesn't stop with the scenery or environment changes that I would recommend to all.
Rating: 9.5/10
1. Mt. Katahdin, ME
Katahdin has to be one of the best hikes and mountains I've done anywhere. The ruggedness and challenge is incredible- with knife edge's having sections with intense scrambling and others where you're feet away from an edge with a 1,000+ foot drop. The rocky jaggedness feel more akin to something out west and the summit has one of the best views in the Eastern U.S. while still having classic Northeast features such as moose, lakes and pine forests. Even better, it's in the middle of nowhere meaning no signs of civilization from the top- just raw natural beauty with no auto road as a shortcut.
Rating: 10/10
Miscellaneous, Brief Takeaways
-So many auto roads compared to Northeast, take a lot of difficulty out by driving up. Makes it far easier to do a bunch of mountains in a day but doesn't feel as earned.
-Much more manmade features on the mountains- all but Mount Rogers had a drive option to the top which made some of the summits pretty crowded. Some also had additional buildings on the top- cafes, visitor centers, etc.
-Views are nice, but aren't Northeast views. Virginia and Georgia were probably on par with some of the best Vermont views, but not NH, ME or NY.
-It's still quite technical down here. Having never done much trails/hiking in the south I expected them to be far less technical than the Northeast. While they are less technical overall, that doesn't mean they are manicured, easy trails as the vast majority, especially Mt. Rogers were technical and rocky.
-It was nowhere near as hot as I expected. I figured spending a week in early July in the south would be absolutely miserable and I'd have to contend with some serious heat. That wasn't the case at all as the really high ones- Mitchell and Clingman's Dome had temps in the 50s, and even the warmer ones were only low 70s. Shenandoah was hot with low 80s but far cooler than the near-100 temperatures I faced driving over.
-Shenandoah is a great National Park. Great Smoky Mountains is not. I think GSM is one of the most overrated National Parks- the trail network is phenomenal and its free but also crowded and there is a serious lack of views. Shenandoah and Acadia on the other hand still have a lot of great trails but have fantastic views at so many points.
-Some of the areas near the highpoints were extremely run down and poor. This is specifically talking about Virginia and Kentucky HP areas as the poverty and conditions of buildings was not somewhere I would feel comfortable stopping. Lines of old pickup trucks, mobile homes and trump signs covered people's lawn/properties.
-I don't like Georgia, but the Northern mountains and area was far prettier than I expected. So many trails there, drove by some pretty lakes and some clearly very rich areas.
-Generally pretty nice campsites with reasonable fees. Some of the New England states have bogus rules (VT two night minimum, MA charges more than double for out of state) but anything here was no more than 30/night for spacious and/or conveniently located campgrounds).
-Places I'd like to visit in these states in the future: Cape Hatteras (NC), Congaree NP (SC), Mammoth Cave NP (KY), anywhere in the GA mountains, Stone Mountain (GA).
Ranking of 2021 Mountains (New)
Originally, I was going to do a separate post but in the interest of getting it done quickly, I'll post here. Brief comments only as most everything is elaborated on either in this post or a weekly log. Note a ton of these are Acadia National Park peaks which are awesome but many are similar.
27 Mountains Total- Maine (9), New York (4), Virginia (4), New Hampshire (3), Vermont (2), 1- NC, TN, GA, SC (not including KY as there was no hiking involved and its only done for highpointing)
27. Kebo Mountain, ME- limited views for a very small Acadia peak
26. Thomas Cole Mountain, NY- completely unmemorable and more of a side peak, no views
25. Pack Monadnock, NH- nice trails but poor views
24. Passaconaway Mountain, NH- not exciting for a 4,000 footer, no views
23. Black Dome, NY- forested mediocre peak in the catskills
22. Windham High Peak, NY- decent viewpoints but no pine trees
21- 19. Bald, Gilmore, Parkman, ME- similar small Acadia mountains, nice views but not as grand and less trail options than the larger ones
18. Whiteface Mountain, NH- decent open ridges and views, but not the most exciting 4,000 footer
17. North Bubble, ME- great overlook of Jordan Pond but a tiny mountain with one one trail
16. Stony Man, VA- great views but too short and easy to rank higher
15. Hawksbill, VA- same as stony man but a little better. Highest peak in Shenandoah NP.
14. Pemetic Mountain, ME- larger peak but not as much open ridgeline as other Acadia mountains
13. Blackhead Mountain, NY- challenging terrain and a few decent lookouts
11. Clingman's Dome, TN- so many trail options but limited views and developed summit
10. Mount Ascutney, VT- Several trails to summit and nice pines, but views limited and hard to make a loop
9. Camel's Hump, VT- great views and multiple trail options that are challenging
7-8. Cadillac and Dorr, ME- beautiful, grand peaks with great views and open ridgeline
6. Old Rag, VA- awesome views and fantastic rock scrambling. Limited trail options, usually one classic route
5. Penobscot Mountain, ME- almost a mile of scenic open rock ridgeline
4. Sargent Mountain, ME- awesome views and a lot of open smooth rock
3. Brasstown Bald, GA- amazing views
2. Mt. Mitchell, NC- huge peak and great pine forests, probably great views
1. Mt. Rogers, VA- beautiful, unique and highly diverse landscapes
While many of the peaks are nice, the only one that was fantastic and would make the top 10 list I made last year is Mount Rogers.
What's up next?
I'm not sure on this as any future highpoint is now a lot further away (minimum 12 hour at least) and will require a lot of advance planning and free time. Whatever the next summer is where I have the funds, times and it doesn't mean sacrificing big running goals, I'd like to make some progress. But it will be difficult as there's generally so many races in the summer and my mileage will definitely take a hit during a highpointing trip, plus I want to get the NH 4000 footers done with and the Acadia peaks.
The next road trip will focus on the great lake states- a small group of mountains that won't be particularly difficult or exciting but it may be interesting to see thick pine forests in rural areas near the Canadian border as well as possibly checking out some lake areas/national parks. This would probably be 5-7 days minimum and cover at the absolute minimum- MI, WI, MN, IA with possible add-ons to the midwest or south. While these aren't big mountains this would actually be very exciting for me as I've spent little time in the great lake states and there are some awesome looking areas, especially in Michigan and Minnesota. The Superior National Forest and Porcupine Mountains State Park look particularly enticing. This should be doable in the next 2-3 years as a minimum given I learned a week is manageable and affordable from 2021.
The add-ons could include the Dakotas, any of the midwestern column of states except Texas as its very far west, or any part of the south previously uncovered. It'd be preferable to take the extra 1-3 weeks to sweep through the south as this is not an area that would be very enjoyable given the flatness and my general disdain for much of that area. So saving one trip just to check out the flat, boring highpoints would not be fun and I'd rather have it as a dull portion of one trip. Plus they're all pretty far apart at this point so there would be some tough days (drive up to a flat HP like LA then drive 5 hours to another flat HP in MS). The dakotas I am very excited for as both regions look stunning but also unique and there are many national forests and parks in the region that seem worth taking the extra time to explore.
The west for the most part will have to wait as I'd like to wrap up the east and get the midwest done first as after that I'll only have cool, big peaks left to go do that will be real adventures. Perhaps the only potential interruption in that order would be a trip to do Mount Whitney (CA) and NV. Because Mount Whitney requires a lottery parking permit it would be difficult to get there that exact day to do it during a long trip. It's 4 hours from the las vegas airport and the NV highpoint can be combined easily so this would be a potential 2-3 day trip. The one frustrating highpoint is Illinois' as its privately owned and only open a few weekends a year. This would be very difficult to schedule a road trip around and will likely require a flight to chicago area just to grab the one highpoint. Colorado's highpoint would also be worth a single trip as well.
Most likely though highpoints 21-24 will be MI-WI-MN-IA. That's a wrap on this extensive post that took a lot of effort to get through. Got a lot of work ahead to continue on the highpointing journey.
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