Whiteface Vertical Kilometer and the different types of fun

Yesterday I ran the Whiteface VK, most of which for me was not running, power-hiking was more the norm. At 3,300' vertical gain in just four kilometers, it was obviously very steep, but also the rocky footing precluded running for even the super-human race leaders. My pulse was above 155-160 for all 80 minutes, which for a 70 year-old is maximum. This … was a perfect example of TYPE 2 FUN.

The fun scale was first coined by a geology professor Rainer Newberry in the 1980s, however is most often linked to the writing of climber Kelly Cordes. There are three types of "fun" proposed on this scale:

TYPE 1 … it's totally fun and enjoyable while you are doing it. This is what most people mean, when they use the word fun.
TYPE 2 … it's miserable while you are doing it, but "fun" when you look back on it in retrospect
TYPE 3 … it's miserable while you are doing it, but you thought in retrospect it would be considered "fun." However, in reality, even in the rear view mirror, all you can say is "what the hell were we thinking of; never again!

The Whiteface VK today was clearly TYPE 2 fun. It was a robust field. Some of the best American mountain runners, who raced an 11k USATF sanctioned championship event in the morning, doubled back in the afternoon! I still have been unable to confirm if I was the oldest, and perhaps craziest participant.

It was a gut buster, quite hot, STEEP, and with technical sections near the end. Beautiful views, chocolate chip cookies at the finish, and thankfully after a short descent, you get to ride the gondola down. TODAY, in retrospect, it was a heck of a lot of "fun."