Mt. Marathon

Today: Sunshine!

So I did what anyone would do after enduring six days of rain: I ditched work and headed up to Mt. Marathon.

Oh, yes!

I was supposed to meet up with S and J but was running late and missed them so I started off by myself. It was deliciously hot and dusty, and by the time I made Squirrel's Den, which is about halfway to the halfway point, I was wet with sweat and covered in dirt.

I booked it, fast, trying to catch up. I passed two people: A guy coming back down in a pair of Xtratufs (don't recommend this) and a good looking dude without his shirt who took a short breather before sprinting off ahead of me (Oh honey, stay a little while, okay?).

Mount Marathon is steep and basically climbs 3,000 feet in about a mile. The climb is relentless. You gasp. You snort. You bend over. You clutch your thighs, trying to get them to move faster.  You basically move down the evolutionary ladder from upright to hunched to four-legged to a useless sloth.

I caught up with S right after the halfway point and stopped and snapped a pic (which gave me a good excuse to stop for a breather, hee, hee).

I didn't catch J because she is FAST, especially on the downhill. That girl can book, and I hope she teaches me some pointers because I kinda suck on the downhill.

The second half of the mountain is easier, since there's usually a wind and it's a wee bit less steep. Plus it's open and vast, and you feel as if you could climb right up to God.

Me at the top

J and S at the edge

Unfortunately when one climbs up, one must also climb back down. Imagine running a mile of nearly straight down trail covered with ankle deep scree and you kind of get the picture.

The last section of the bottom consists of cliffs running through a creek. The rocks were wet and slippery and before long I was wet and muddy, my feet soaked, my shoes filled with small, sharp stones.

Then, praise be, the very and absolute bottom of the mountain.

Here are some pics I got off the Internet that better describe the cliff areas.

Start: You basically rock climb and pull yourself up with tree roots.

Waterfall area through the creek toward the bottom.

Running:
Today: Mt. Marathon
Sunday: 10 miles, easy-medium pace
Saturday: Speed intervals: 9 x 400: 1:50, 1:49, 1:44, 1:43, 1:43, 1:42, 1:40, 1:36, 1:33

Reading: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (am I, like, the last woman in the world to read this?)