On a day with really challenging conditions above 2700' Charlie got all the Saranac Sixers. I bagged the two longest and hardest peaks with him, then brutal knee pain - despite big gulps of Tylenol and ibuprofen - caused me to pull the plug. I started up the next two peaks but in each case, after a couple of kilometers, I threw in the towel.
Despite the disappointment, it was my biggest day, since the ultra last November. It certainly was a worthwhile training day, as I look forward to the Canadian ski marathon and the Grand Traverse, later in the winter. (Given trail conditions, and the fact that I might not have been completely recovered from the recent virtual half marathon; it was probably overly ambitious.) It does confirm what I had surmised eleven months ago though ... that 50k under ideal conditions was the absolute maximum I could expect to accomplish in a trail run.
The totals for Friday's big effort include: 20+ miles, 4500' gain, and just under 9 hours on the trail.
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