Hockley Loop with Mrs. Gally and Dee. Since they are faster runners, I proposed taking a head start, then we could meet along the way. They were in the parking lot when I left so I'm not sure how much time I had but we met at the 10K mark at the entrance to Anderson Tract, which was perfect. The route is a little tricky through there and there are some super-steep hills that all three of us would be speed hiking anyway.
On the first hilltop on the south side of the loop, I had a brief feeling of nausea. That's unusual for me and I'm not sure what caused it but it was my first hot long run of the season, so I popped a couple of Salt Stick capsules and took a big gulp of water. The feeling didn't return but I'm not confident I figured it out. As much as I don't enjoy heat, I'll need to acclimatize before the Death Race so I'll need to get out on a lot of other days like this.
Other than that, I felt pretty good - especially considering all the racing I've been doing. It blows my mind that I did the loop 20 minutes faster last spring, which seems totally out of reach now.
Great conversation with friends, beautiful spring greenery and a delicious lunch at the Black Birch afterward made this an A+ training session.
This is my last long run before the Sulphur Springs 50K in 11 days. Since the start of May, I've felt like I've been swept into the current of my ultra plans, and the water is moving faster and approaching a steep-sided canyon full of rapids! (That analogy is for you, Urthbuoy.) But it's all good. I viewed the Eco-Endurance Challenge as ultra training (70+ km) and that was three weeks before Sulphur Springs. After the 50K, I have three weeks until the Mohican 50-miler, then six weeks until the Canadian Death Race. It's all going to happen so quickly!