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Post by athleticman on Jul 12, 2007 20:37:53 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
I'm Spencer and myself and 2 running friends are heading out your way from Florida and I wanted to ask if any of you could spare a few words or tips on the course with us? We've looked over the course map but topo maps are hard to understand, are we in for trouble with the hills? We are actually running hills here in Orlando trying to accustom ourselves, and our long runs are now at 30 miles on Sundays. For comparison, we've all done the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase in Park City, the last couple of years, is it that steep? Lot's of sand, rocks, roots?
Thanks,
Spencer
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Post by harrywalther on Jul 15, 2007 11:03:21 GMT -5
Looks like you're still waiting for an answer, so I'll give you a bit of info:
far as I remember the only fairly technical section of the course is the 'Pirates Cove' trail. It's pretty steep and usually washed out from the rains. As an added bonus there's plenty of poison oak growing there and you'd do well to be able to recognize the stuff and avoid it like the plague!
Also, if you've got a problem with steep drop offs don't look around too much!
The first section from Pantoll to Bolinas Ridge has a lot of rocks and roots, but isn't steep. You just have to watch where you step, especially since it's in the shade. Take off the sun glasses!
You should be prepared for a cold and wet start. The fog from the Pacific is usually in until about noon and it can be pretty miserable. On the other hand, the temp hardly ever goes up over 70 degs that close to the coast, so heat is a non-issue. Once the fog retreats it can be very windy (carry a windbreaker)
If you want to prepare your quads - google 'sissy squats'. But then, being from Florida, you probably already know how to prepare for hills.
Bring a camera! There's some awesome photo opportunites along the trail.
Cheers & hope you'll make it to the start!
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Post by athleticman on Jul 16, 2007 15:53:35 GMT -5
Poison Oak seems tough to avoid, we'll try.
I'm guessing a long sleeve tech running shirt and a windbreaker will do the trick, can we have stuff dropped off for us at the aid stations? It's be great to not have to carry things all day. Is a shoe change possible on a 50 mile run?
Thanks,
Spencer
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Jon
Full Member
Posts: 183
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Post by Jon on Jul 16, 2007 16:15:32 GMT -5
Poison Oak seems tough to avoid, we'll try. I'm guessing a long sleeve tech running shirt and a windbreaker will do the trick, can we have stuff dropped off for us at the aid stations? It's be great to not have to carry things all day. Is a shoe change possible on a 50 mile run? Thanks, Spencer You might be okay with short sleeve shirt and wind breaker that you tie around your waist once it warms up. The trail should be competely dry; however, I like to wear gaiters to keep small pebbles and other things getting in my shoes. Most of these trails are well used. Also, PCTR usually tries to remove any major poison oak when they mark the course. You should be okay assuming you run in the middle of the trail. There are generally one or two aid stations that you can supply with drop bags. Anything you drop off (i.e., shoe change), may not make it back to the start/finish for quite some time. The drop locations will likely be reachable by car, so you could always drive to retrieve anything left behind after you've finished. |
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Post by athleticman on Aug 8, 2007 20:24:32 GMT -5
See you Saturday everyone, thanks for the tips!
Spencer
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Post by athleticman on Aug 14, 2007 10:25:28 GMT -5
Thanks Sarah and Wendell,
You totally kicked the butts on us Florida boys! We all finished the 50 miler.
We "thought" we knew what hills were about... oh boy were we wrong! LOL
Volunteers: Thank you very much! We could not have accomplished this without you.
Spencer
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