5 Hour Hike: Sky Meadows State Park

Today was quite possibly the most beautiful weather day of my entire life. Temperatures in the low to mid-60s, blue blue skies, and everything in bloom. It absolutely doesn't get any better than this. I started my morning without any really plans. I threw my daypack in the car, filled with water, jerky, and some PowerBars. Then I drove aimlessly following yard sale signs until I found a good one in Purcellville (I was the first one there). After snatching up 12 great CDs for $3.00, I thought I'd end on a high note and move on to the next big thing. I pulled out my trail map, Loudoun County map, and my GPS to figure out where to go. My stomach grumbled, so I thought it best to start with breakfast--a bacon,egg, and cheese croissant at Upper Crust Bakery in Middleburg. I determined the best place from there would be where the Appalachian Trail (AT) crosses over Route 50. Not far from the trailhead, I saw signs for Sky Meadows State Park at the t-intersection of Routes 50 and 17. Being thoroughly uncommitted to my plans, I turned left and decided to check out the park I'd passed by countless times over the years.

Sky Meadows is smack in the middle of one of the best view in Virginia. There is a series of hiking trails, two of which lead you up the mountain where the AT traverses the top border. On the way out I took the North Ridge trail (blue blaze), on the way back the South Ridge trail (yellow blaze). In between, I spent a long time on southbound on the AT. Along the way, I saw clear blue skies through the dappled sunlight coming through the blossoming trees. Trailside were tons of flowers in bloom (I later learned they were trilliums, geraniums, violets, and a few others I don't remember the names of). The day was so perfect that thoughts of a two-hour hike followed by a run on the bridle trails slowly dissipated into a full-on 5 hour hike--that is five hours of hiking (not including a short 15 minute stop for lunch). I never felt tired; I never felt like stopping; I just kept going and going. Everything around me made it so easy to forget about my feet and legs.

When I finished up, I felt great. I was pretty hydrated, my legs felt pretty good after a long stretch, and I felt completely blessed to be able to take full advantage of a day like this. Last minute plans like this will become a little more difficult when my wife and I start a family in the near future.

(Oh, and I think I hiked 17-18 miles.)

1 Hour: Old Waterford Road

I let bad traffic dictate my run again. Today, I hit an old favorite that I haven't run in a couple years. I parked my car at the equestrian park entrance (which is near Morven Park), and ran out for a half hour on Old Waterford Road, a dirt/gravel road that has some serious hills. I kept a pretty good pace, but charged up the first couple hills a little fast only to have my quads punished on the downhills. I was happy to finish this run, but definitely had a sense of accomplishment.

1 Hour: W&OD Horse Trail

I hadn't planned where to run today, so I let the bad traffic determine it for me. I ran on the W&OD horse trail for an hour. Beautiful weather, beautiful run. I started off a little slow, but by run's end I had a fast pace that felt fairly effortless.

35 Minutes: Intervals

I hit a lull at work today and went out for a short run of intervals BEFORE a happy hour. The skies were threatening rain all day, but for the most part nothing happened. A bit of drizzle started coming down towards after I finished and was safely in the car. I know I've said it before--it feels good to run fast. Now all I need to do is set a schedule. I don't want to start marathon training yet, but I have a long day hike (40+ miles) planned (maybe) for sometime this summer (June?). I'm trying to figure out what kind of training will help me do it all. Without a schedule, I find I sometimes let a good day go by and don't do anything.

5.7 Miles: Williams Gap Loop

Another beautiful afternoon. I was in training today, and blessedly about to do some work email during the breaks, so when class let out a little early, I was able to get home and get a run in complete daylight. Today was one of those days runners feel a small part of themselves die if they don't get outside. Sunny, blue skies with temperatures in the mid-50s! I hit one of my favorite loops and coasted for 5.7 miles, hardly realizing that my legs were even moving. I finished up in 52:36 and still don't feel like I did anything.

Cross Training: 1 Hour Bike Ride

I thought about running today, but decided instead to try out a new pair of bike shorts and see if they'd prevent the cowboy walk at the end of the ride. I went out for about a little over an hour, covering somewhere around 11-12 miles, mostly dirt roads. I've noticed that I'm starting to get stronger on the bike, riding in higher gears and keeping momentum. Today, the weather was beautiful, a quintessential Virginia spring day. When I finished, my legs still felt fresh and the new shorts did their job.

6 Miles

After a few cool days, it was nice to have a warm afternoon to hit the W&OD trail, this time at Paeonian Springs. I set out on a fast pace (for me right now) and hit the three mile halfway point in 23:54 before turning around and feeling an overwhelming desire to slow down. I eased off for a couple miles and finished strong on the last half mile, finishing in 51:50. What's clear is my body needs to grow more accustomed to tempo runs.

Cross Training: Hiking, Rappelling, and Biking

My brother and his girlfriend made their way up to visit me this weekend to celebrate his birthday. With beautiful weather, we set out on a brief, but hard-paced hike from Route 7 to Crescent Rock, a local rock climbing and rappelling hangout. I managed to rappel a few times, the first time since my honeymoon nearly three years ago. I'm amazed at how much you need to know to setup the ropes safely--far more than lacing up running shoes. When we finished, we hiked quickly back to the car and drove to the nearby Horseshoe Curve Restaurant in Pine Grove, VA--my favorite place for a ham and cheese sandwich. When we got home, we hopped on our bikes and enjoyed a 6 mile circuit mostly over gravel roads. I'm starting to think I need some clip-ons.

...Then we pulled a TV out in the yard, enjoyed a few beers, dined on oysters and crab, and watched the NCAA Men's Final Four.