322 miles. 7 days. Lots of time on the trail, lots of time on my feet. It passed too quickly, though at times I just wanted it to end. Now, back at home a week after finishing in Georgetown the Friday before last, I can finally start to feel my body nearing normality again. The soreness is leaving, my fatigue is vanishing, the blisters healed and my appetite returning to normal. I even ran 5 miles this morning averaging sub 10s. There is still some time before I go tear out a hard speed session at the track, but my physical link with the voyage is fading, all that will remain is the mental and emotional link. I need to get all those thoughts down, both the pain and the joy, before that fades too.
DAY 1: After driving down to Pittsburgh from Meadville and dropping Maia off at Camp Bow Wow, we parked by Point State Park in Pittsburgh at 8:00AM, earlier than I was thinking we would. Gina and I walked over the park, apparently tradition has it that you are supposed to dip you bike tire in the fountain in the park to signify the beginning of your voyage. Well the park is still under some construction, so the fountain is off limits. I just choose a line in the sidewalk that looked as good as any other for the starting line and declared this as the official start. Really, this was the "ceremonial start" as I was only running 3.5 miles along the Eliza Furnace Trail to the Hot Metal Bridge. The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) has a "gap" in it here and Gina shuttled me to the "restart" off of Grant Avenue in Duquesne, about 9 miles away. Here there is a small paper sign which unceremoniously announced that the trail is open to Cumberland and Washington. The rain was just starting to fall, already I was one hour into our trek, half of which was spent in the car. There's a long way to go...
The rest of the day sailed by, my spirits and energy level were high. I cranked out the remaining 40ish miles without issue. It rained aplenty to be sure, the most it rained any of the days we were on the trail, but neither the mud puddles nor soggy clothes mattered, I was finally on my way. DC here we come!!
DAY 2: I knew that getting over the psychological hurdle of starting day 2, repeating what we had done the day before was going to be a major challenge of the trip. The night before I was probably the most scared/nervous of any. Is my chaffing too bad to go on? Are those blisters going to be my downfall? Did I eat enough? Just how refreshed are my legs going to feel in the morning? I'd run a multiday ultra before (
3 Days of Syllamo), but never something of this magnitude. The first two hours answered my questions definitively. I kept clipping off 9 minute miles without a problem. My feet felt fine, legs were motoring along, pace felt great. The scenery here helped, this section took me through Ohiopyle State Park right along the Youghiogheny River, most likely the prettiest section of the entire trek. After two hours though, I hit a pretty big low, I don't think I ate enough the night before and my fuel cells were feeling drained. I took a couple of gels, walked a mile (I was a bit ahead of the schedule I had given Gina). My stores recharged, I made it to Ohiopyle. From here, Gina and I decided I would always carry a Power Bar with me whenever to prevent a repeat occasion. On to Confluence, here I'd leave the Youghiogheny, a river I'd run next to for 70 odd miles and run along the Casselman. Gina ran into meet me on the way to Confluence, it was great having a running partner for a bit. As we neared Confluence, the three bikers we camped by the night before passed us. These three gentleman were biking from Pittsburgh to DC and would end up camping by us for the first three nights. We enjoyed their company, and I think they enjoyed us sharing our Oreos.
DAY 3: Last day on the GAP, also the last day with some uphill. Not that the trail is ever steep, but from Connellsville to Deal, there is a steady uphill grade, after every bend in the trail you just see it rising and rising. It would be good to get over the Eastern Continental Divide and start heading down. More rain this day, welcomed as the trees were much smaller and opportunities for shade were fewer. Through Big Savage Tunnel, the longest of the whole trip, across the Mason-Dixon Line (into a new state!) and down to Frostburg I ran. Lots of cyclists on this section of the trail, good to see that it is getting use. I waited out a down pour in Frostburg eating lunch in the car with Gina. Gina rode up from Cumberland on her bike and was with me the last 7 miles of the GAP. It felt good to finish one trail, tomorrow I'd start another. From here on out, the miles would only get smaller and when they hit 0, I'd be done! We got some ice cream in Cumberland and camped by the YMCA. Great facilities, but you are nestled between train tracks and the freeway, it doesn't promote restful sleeping.
DAY 4: Starting a new trail, next to a new river, the Potomac, rejuvenated me and I was able to crank out some 9 minute miles again at the start, maybe two hours worth. The three cyclists passed me again (for the final time although Gina would see then again over the next coupe of days as she drove ahead to meet me) and another cyclist that we had camped by for the last two nights passed me as well. Traveling with her was her 15lb border collie that rode in a baby backpack carrier. Too cute, that dog was on a mission and could care less about seeing me on the trail. The C&O is flat and since the canal is no longer in operation, most of it is marshy, algae filled ponds and murky pools. Not inviting at all, even considering the clouds moved out of the area and the temperature starting climbing. A slight change in our camping plans that night. We opted for a more expensive campground further from the trail as they had **showers**. The routine: I run a lot and finish wondering how I was going to run the next day, but then food (lots of it, any type, I was not picky, cold Campbell Chicken soup from the Can? Mmm Mmm good) and more importantly a shower and I was a new man, ready for action. How does it feel? Well I gathered no moss.
DAY 5: More miles... more miles... more HOT miles...
DAY 6: More miles... more miles... more HOT miles... The temperature broke into the mid 90s and even with shade, I was being cooked, both inside and out. There were some wells alongside the trail at the hiker/biker campgrounds that I used to rinse off and cool off. Even with this and the wet ice cold towels Gina met me with, this day was by far the hardest. I got a slight boost of energy after Harpers Ferry where the C&O and the Appalachian Trail share a trail for three miles. I saw three through hikers and thought about my friend Josh and his through hike several years ago and all the stories he told me about it. What an journey, my little trot cannot even compare. Another deviation on our plans, instead of camping in Brunswick, we got a hotel. After the scorcher of a day, I wanted AC.
DAY 7: This was it, the last time I would need to start. I was glad to see day seven, but I knew that I had 55 miles to run on day 7, 9 more than the average. We started an hour early (6:00 AM), but even so I knew that it would be 6:00 PM at the earliest when I would finish. Still more miles left to go Matt.
They passed by just like the previous 250+ had, one foot in front of the other. I was able to turn out the first six at 10 minutes per mile pace, the days of putting down some miles at 9 minutes per miles were over. Gina planned on meeting me at several locations, that helped to break up the run into manageable pieces. With the exception of the last 14 miles from Great Falls National Park to Georgetown, the longest I went without seeing Gina was 10 miles. The clouds moved in the night before, keeping the temperatures lower than the previous day, but the humidity was still high and my batteries were still low from the day before. By the time I reached Great Falls I was done, both mentally and physically spent. I tried to keep my energy high by eating more gels than usual but the trip was taking its toll. We took a 15 minute sit down break and then spent 15 minutes looking a the falls. I had no idea this was here, really gorgeous. I finally got going again after telling Gina it would probably take me 3½ hours to cover the last 14 miles (that's 15 minutes per mile pace, about what I'd done for the previous section). I started running and committed myself to a plan 25 minutes of running followed by 5 minutes of walking, repeat 8 times then you're in Georgetown. The first block went by and during the second a runner came up from behind and passed me. I wanted the company so I sped up, caught him and we ran together for about 15 minutes (probably at 10 minutes per mile pace). We chatted for a bit, I told him what I was doing, he told me about a good bar in Georgetown. There wasn't anything special about the conversation, but I was motivated. From here on in I pushed it hard, constantly repeating to myself, "Just stick with the plan, the plan will get you there." Two hours into this segment I was already within 5 miles of the finish, 15 minute miles be damned, I'm going to finish this my way! Gina rode in on her bike (she was able to maneuver through DC traffic at 5 PM on the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, I think she deserves a big fat medal!). I shouted
"BOOMER!" at the top of my lungs, which she replied to
"sooner."
"Weak sauce love, let's try it again." I yelled
"BOOMER!"
She replied
"SOONER!" Yeah, that's more like it! I took a final walk break, then slid my hat downward, no more talking, it was time to go to work. I increased my cadence, drawing from whatever remained from my muscles. I would cover this last section in 2:40. As I passed Lock 1, only a ¼ mile from the end I told myself to savor this, this is an accomplishment and I won't have this feeling again soon. Hooting, hollering jumping up and down, I think most people walking through Georgetown though I was crazy. Well, that may be, ... but then ... mile 0!
My body must of known it was done. That night, after a shower, I was completely finished, there would be no running the next day even if I tried. Again?
I put all of my times on the various segments into a spreadsheet, check it out:
RUN STATISTICS
Also, I uploaded more pictures from the trip onto Picasa, here's the link:
RUN PICTURES
The
Allegheny Trail Alliance has a link on their website allowing you to make a certificate commemorating the voyage. The picture shows the Salisbury Viaduct (1,908' long) outside of Meyersdale, PA, mile 33 of the GAP. Not quite the same as a belt buckle...
