I do Kings Mt once a week. I really like it. I'm looking forward to seeing the whole loop one day. I also do Crowders Mt when I want a really tough run. The Ridgeline trail now connects to the Kings Mt loop so I will probably connect the two some day.

I'm up to 8 miles for my long run so I just do an out and back right now. I alternate directions, one day I'll start on the Lake Crawford side of the loop and the next time I start on the Brown's Mt side. I suppose you could always just run down one of the gravel roads to cut it short but that would be less fun.

Ashley, If you are up to it next week (and patient to run a bit slow with me, and if the weather holds up) then I might get there and run the Ridge line trail.   What's the total distance on that.  Looks like about 13 - 14 mile round trip.  If that's too long we can each park at either end.   We could even make Richard a trail runner yet.

 The ridgeline is 6 to 7 miles one way starting from the end of the pinnacle trail. I'm up for it if you are. I need to do 8 miles that day and going at an easy pace is always fine with me on trails. If we started at Kings Mt it would be about 2 miles to the start of ridgeline. It would actually be perfect since I usually walk about half a mile for warm up.

Hope everybody's race went well. Lynwood and Shashi, I was on the lookout for both of you but didn't see you. Not surprising with 10,000 people I guess. I got 1st in the 55-59 age group! Got a good start up front... much better than last year. It's not nearly as crowded up front if you can avoid the stampede in back of you. I looked back a couple of times and the possibility of being trampled scared me into running faster.

I looked for ya'll too.  It was crowded for sure.   Congratulations guys, ya'll did great.

 

I didn't do very good.  Came in at 1:58 on my watch.  I've been trying to run without a GPS watch and it's not working.  I kept track of my time through 4 miles and was dead on a 8:30 pace.  I didn't feel like I slowed down much except the hills and thought I was making up for it on the downhills and flats.  Without a watch I have no idea where I went wrong.  I couldn't run close to 1:50 but do feel like I could have run 1:54.  I have some work to do for next year.  Considering the limited miles I've run and no speed work, I can't expect too much improvement.  Had fun though.

 

On an interesting note.  My cousin and her husband came in from Charleston to run with me.  She ran a 2:14 last year.  She started doing Cross Fit training three days a week last January, in a addition to some running but no more than 20 miles a week the last month or two.  She ran a 1:50 and said she could have gone faster.  I was impressed with what that cross training did for her.  Her husband was pacing her to break 2 hours for the first time and also ran a 1:50.  He thought 1:45 was easily within reach and he did not run at all except for the limited cross fit miles.  Amazing really. 

Ashley,

 

Not feeling too good about the trail run tomorrow.  Legs are stil beat up a bit and I don't really like the weather prediction.  I'll be out of town for a couple of weeks after this weekend.  We'll have to plan for something in the new year.

 

Shashi