Beautiful day here. Up early and did an hour and a half on the road bike, trails were too muddy for the mtn. bike. Would have been a great evening for a run but I had to meet a friend at a brew pub so if I slur my speech....
I'll get some running in tomorrow whatever the weather. I promise.
QOTD--No way. I will never be that singular focused. I have done minimalist backpacking and lived an ultra-light spartan existence on a few of my adventures. No way. I still love to backpack and my long canoe camping trips and I want to eat good and have a few creature comforts with me. No need to show I can suffer and make believe it's fun. If I'm gonna do 100 miles of rugged trail I want a full backpack and my fishing gear and I intend to take at least a week doing it. The other option is to car camp somewhere and do daily runs out of a base camp but with even more comforts along like say a cooler with some cold... well you know. I can't run from sun up to sundown every day so I fully intend to enjoy my time not running. I guess what I'm saying is I have done a lifetime of different type wild adventures and know what is really enjoyable and what's not, at least for me anyway. The weather is seldom perfect, the bugs even less so and I like to be prepared for all kinds of issues that arise out there and still enjoy myself no matter the conditions. And take the time to savor the beauty that brought me there in the first place.
Pete
wouldn't want to carry or lug all my stuff along with me, that would spoil my experience. If carrying (lots of) stuff, it's hiking, not running.
I agree that running with a lot of gear would get old quick. I think the key is probably to not carry much. I have found it possible to get by camping and cooking with less than 10 pounds of gear and still retain some comfort. If not cooking and there is shelter available you could take much less. On many routes water would be the biggest problem, you need it and it is heavy.
If you pick a route with plenty of services available you could carry not much more than a credit card. Carry some water and a few snacks, eat in diners, and sleep in motels. Not really my style, but doable.
TrailTromper
Tallahassee, Florida
I ran the fastest five mile loop on my little house loop I have ever run there, 7:42 per mile average. Prior to today, it was a little over 8 mpm. And my legs were beat down from Sunday's long run. I don't know what happened. It just felt good from the start, and I went with it.
QOTD: That would be fun, but I have not seriously considered it.
LB2
running under the BigSky
I agree that running with a lot of gear would get old quick. I think the key is probably to not carry much. I have found it possible to get by camping and cooking with less than 10 pounds of gear and still retain some comfort. If not cooking and there is shelter available you could take much less. On many routes water would be the biggest problem, you need it and it is heavy. If you pick a route with plenty of services available you could carry not much more than a credit card. Carry some water and a few snacks, eat in diners, and sleep in motels. Not really my style, but doable.
exactly- down quilt, short air pad, event bivy, etc not the ritz, but for 3-4 days very doable
2023 goal 2023 miles √
2022 goal- 2022 miles √
2021 goal- 2021 miles √
Ok, let's all do a running version of "Naked and Afraid" Maybe we can get some of the ladies here to join us. Wouldn't want too much male bonding out there.
Now i know both Warden and TrailTromper have done many adventures in the past as I have and I certainly know how to go minimalist but I ask why? What will you do when not running. Sit on a wet rock in the rain? Water, filter? Food, Euell Gibbons? Gonna cook anything or just munch Grape-Nuts and Power Bars. I really like my coffee so i need to take my little coffee press. and I have a nice bivvy that I have used a couple times. Waste of money, or I should say a dividend from REI. I can't think I really want to spend 3 nights in that thing. At some point I may want some TP and probably want to brush the fuzz off my teeth. I could go on...
Now i am just having a little fun with you guys. I'm just trying to throw a little reality into this. It's not really that easy to just tie on your shoes and go. I'm thinking the majority of folks that try something like this will be looking for their phone to call for a pickup at the next closest road.
Why not backpack in to a wilderness area with a vast network of trails like the Winds. Set up a comfortable base camp and do long adventure runs out from there returning then to the comfort of a good camp with maybe a little time to catch a couple Cutthroats and eat right? That's more my style.
count me in
I like the base camp idea a lot, but I also like to "push the envelope" a little- a little adventure is good for one's soul (yes it can be uncomfortable at times-that's a given) and it lets you know how good you have it when you're done!