A friendly reminder that practice is at the Belmont Plateau (near the intersection of Belmont & Montgomery) this Saturday, 4/4 at 10 a.m. I will not be there. My good friend Manda Wilkie will sub. Manda and I ran and biked the course today.
Here's the deal:
1. The course is approximately 3 miles long. No concrete - all trails, gravel and grass. It is used for x-country meets for HS's and colleges. It is not an easy 3 miles. There are 3 significant hills (one being called Parachute hill for good reason). Pace yourself and keep your head up, arms pumping and eyes focused on an something at the top.
2. The course is well marked with flourescent orange paint. I made small hand-held maps for Manda to give out in case you need them. Again, it is all well-marked and Manda knows the way and most of it is in the open.
3. It is a triple loop course. Each loop is approximately 1 mile.
4. If you are trying to do 9 miles, run the course 3 times; If you are trying to do 7 miles, run it twice and then run the outer loop again. I think both of these distances will be challenging, considering how drastically different the terrain is from Kelly Drive. Manda is prepared to explain the course and show you how to make it work to whatever distance you want to run.
5. BRING WATER AND GATORADE. We have entered the second half of the training (can you believe it?) and those that haven't been carrying water bottles or goo packs or Gatorade need to start doing so, on longer runs especially. I think Belmont Plateau is good practice because you can leave all that stuff at the starting area where you'll pass multiple times. Remember to start with water and hit the goo and Gatorade for electrolyte replacement later in your run.
6. Enjoy the view at the top of the first hill and come back sometime for a picnic. You'll understand when you see it. Saw 6 white-tail deer back there today too.
Happy Trail Running!
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Sounds like fun. Any tips for non trail runners when we run into rough weather? Looks like rain and high winds tomorrow...but that just makes it more fun :) At least it will be warm.
ReplyDeleteI've had a touch of the flu but planning on coming tomorrow if everything today goes well.
Thanks Coach Pete.
Hey everyone,
ReplyDeleteDon't be too worried about the course. Everyone will do well, I promise.
I ran Belmont during my senior year of high school for cross country (many moons ago). I don't recall the course being ovely difficult. If you're worried about the hills, try to use them to your advantage. They'll only help all of us with Broad Street. My old high school coach always told us to run past opponents on the uphills of the various courses. Nothing's more mentally damaging for an XCer than to see his adversary blowing past him on an upnhill.
See everyone bright and early on Saturday!
Steve