Fri-Sat-Sunday notes

Moving backwards to record my recent workouts:
Sunday - 6 miles trail run. Worked hard on the uphills. Started to feel really good after the half way point but resisted the urge to add on extra miles. Went out there to get 5 or 6 at medium hard effort and got it done. Weather 70 degrees & 95% humidity.

I'm just taking these workouts one or two days at a time. Not 'planning' or scheduling anything to far in advance. Enjoying it, and damn well hope it leads somewhere!

Saturday - 5 miles easy around neighborhood. Got out there early, weather pretty good after yesterday's massive thunderstorms. Surprised to see some of the splits were quick (in the 8:00 to 8:15 range) but the effort was easy.

Friday - 10 mile hike at medium pace with 3x 5 mins. breaks. This is my first official training hike in prep for the SSH challenge. Since I have a knack for getting lost in the woods, I hooked up with a few other hikers. I feel like I now know this half of the course pretty well and next time on these trails I'll be running (where possible - tough trails here). My legs were feeling a bit of a pump at the conclusion of this 10 mile hike.

The following is a detailed report of these trails. I do this as much for any others who plan to cover this ground as just for myself so that I can remember the tougher sections. We hiked S2N, so I'm reconstructing these notes because the race is the opposite direction.

Beginning from Otter Creek Campground: first of all, we skipped the the first mile loop up to Osprey Overlook thinking that any one of us could come back on our own to do that piece anytime. Sooo...
the trail literally goes right thru the campground. Blaze marks are blue. Uphill from 'lil store thru a few sites and goes into the woods toward Sawmill Run behind campsite 92 (or there about). Immediately you get some thorns & stinging nettles for a short patch, then woods along creek to wooden bridge. Nice view before steep short climb to logging road. This is State Game Lands(SGL) 83. Road is muddy, deep potholes/puddles to be avioded. About half mile run up to left turn where Furnace Run joins Sawmill. Now along different old road...more grassy/overgrown. This is about a mile long gradually climbing & changes from grassy to wooded alongside creek. Parts have slippery rocks.
In general, long stretches of this trail are rocky. And these rocks are often in speckled sunlight making them tough to see. And sometimes wet and/or mossy (i.e. tricky footing). Generally most the running is in the first half of the course (from stories I hear about 2nd half)...and on the first half I can see that most running is early - i.e. first quarter of this race will be faster whether you go out too fast or not!
Now the trail climbs very steep, then short flat ridge before coming out to an utility road. Turn left, this is easy running segment, third of mile, then thru gate, right onto paved road for 150 yards, crossing road into woods. Look for blue blaze mark, and big poison ivy patch. Short rocky/choppy section in woods, left turn to a total bitch of a section along the side of a corn field. Really overgrown with p. i. and some thorns. I sent a message to the local trail club that this section really needs to be cleaned up before race day; otherwise, maybe corn crop will be done and we can run where the first row used to be. You pop out at a "T" intersection and go str8 across onto Newcut Road (slight uphill). The next mile is roads: gravel (Newcut) then paved (Posey) then gravel (past Blaine jct). A right takes you into SGL 181. This is a wide grass/gravel road. Shade, uphill, nice.
This is mile marker 6, and first water stop here. Then thru gate & start downhill. Longgg steady downhill... old road now has become thick, high grass. Still very wide. This is like a beautiful old country road to nowhere. There's a bend in the road, and when you go around it then the grassy road looks like it just goes down down down forever. This should be the fastest running mile of the entire 25 mile course. No kidding this is almost a mile of steady downhill grassy old farm road with the last half mile straight as an arrow down into dark heavy woods and with woods lining both sides all the way down. Awesome! Wouldn't it be great to run downhill all the time? When you enter the woods at the bottom the trail goes left alongside a creek- this is Oakland's Run. It's like at least 15 degrees cooler in here compared to out in the sun. There's a huge rock I call the "Steamship Rock" which is practically all by itself on the forest floor and jutting out from a hillside toward the creek. (btw, there's a geocache find exactly here if u r so inclined). Anyway, you follow the creek down hill at least one mile toward the mighty river. At one point you cross creek and then climb several steep up & down sections. You're moving from a Hemlock stand, or grove, into what i can only describe as a Rhododendrum Forest. I've never seen so many rhodo's all together. Must be awesome in springtime. Rocky stretches & unsafe footing for running as you get to the bottom of the run and then turn right as the trail goes alongside the Susquehanna for about 1 mile. When you start to pass a few little cottages, the trail begins to change into another grassy old road. When there's a fork, stay left along the river. This didn't seem well blazed/signed...stay left. The road becomes more of a gravel road. You will pass the hydroelectic dam and a few DANGER signs - no swimming, duh. Just after the damn, look for a right turn off road up into the woods. This is well marked. Climbing uphill steady, then more steeply. Cross under 2 electric power lines - this area is steep with unsure footing and somewhat overgrown with p.i. and thorny patches. Finally levels out for a short piece, but then very steep downhill on some newly cut-in switchbacks. Loose footing - dangerous. At the bottom is Mill Creek. You hug the side of the creek for a few minutes. Rocky and slippery. At the bottom where the trail joins a gravel road is a great waterfall but you'll have to stop & turn around to look back up at it... just when the road offers the chance to run once again.
Big sections of this trail are not 'runable' because it's just too steep up (or down) or because of slippery rocks. You have to pick your spots. And be ready to slow down as soon as you see terrain changing. Be ready to walk/hike. If this was a shorter race you could attack every hill, but this is 25 miles amigo!
Take a right when the Mill Creek hits the gravel road. Almost immediately look for left down a short embankment. There's a very old looking stone foundation here, and a guardrail along this side of road. Short descent gets you onto trail alongside the big river. Slippery rocks for a half mile until the Historic Lock 12 area. Should be able to run along here, pay attention to trail...not views. Arrive at playground/restrooms/parking lot and this is water stop #2. Course is a bit of mystery after here, but assume you go uphill thru both parking lots, left on gravel road, left onto highway and then across Rt 372 big bridge. I don't see any other trail leading up onto bridge approach. Plus that would round up the mileage to make this side of the river 12 miles ( and other side will be 13). Other side is supposedly more challenging climbs & descents. Look forward to that next week. I may need to invest in a machette for the overgrown parts of this course!!