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June 13, 2007
A Bunsen Peak Repeat
A mountains go, Bunsen Peak is relatively small and insignificant; from the trailhead to the summit, it's a 1300 vertical feet elevation gain over 2.3 miles. I also find Bunsen Peak rather unattractive; it's an oddly-shaped, eroded, kind of orange-ish volcanic plug that has been overswept many times and left charred by wildfire. Once you reach Bunsen Peak, you wander amongst an unnatural assortment of radio and other communications equipment placed there by my employer. Despite all this, I often take my visiting family and friends up Bunsen Peak, as it provides an extraordinary view of the northern portion of Yellowstone, including my personal stomping grounds. In fact, with a pair of binoculars, you can see my house from the top of Bunsen Peak. And further, I learned yesterday that it makes a great place to do hill climb repeats.
The goal for the day was to do two Bunsen Peak climbs/descents at a solid but sustainable pace. I wished to mimic my planned pace and effort for the 50k I will be doing in two weekends (You know, the one that I mentioned which features nearly 12,000 feet of elevation gain over the 50k distance? Yeah, that one.). I set out from the trailhead carrying what I thought I would need for these two climbs: 20 ounces of fluid, 1 Gu, and my can of bear spray.
There was a fair number of tourists out on the trail, and I saw the same people three or four times while I was out there. One man told me I was "his hero;" I'm not too sure how much his female companion liked hearing that. Another woman was like my personal cheerleader; I could hear her yelling for me from a few swithcbacks below as she saw me coming up. One lady asked me, "Doesn't that hurt?" I replied, "To some degree." as I passed. One older fellow briefly stopped me (Quite literally, he blocked the trail in front of me.) to inquire about my can of bear spray and to compare his bear spray with mine. One couple never answered my greetings and looked just plain annoyed with me each time I passed. However, for the most part, the tourists were all very nice and quite encouraging. It boosted my spirits for complete strangers to be cheering me on during the workout.
I accomplished my goal, but I can't say I felt awesome doing it. My cardio was right on, but my legs were somewhat off. Mainly, my lower calves burned a little too much given the relatively conservative effort I was putting forth. I suspect I was harboring some remaining fatigue left over from our weekend endeavorings in the Beartooth Mountains.
20 ounces of fluid wasn't enough yesterday, though. I suspect that, under yesterday's conditions, I could have happily consumed 30 ounces of fluid. I've been experimenting with fluid intake lately, and can't quite get it "just right." I'm learning that my fluid needs are just so-danged dynamic. If it's cool, I need less fluid. If the humidity is very low or very high, I need more fluid. If I'm running on already fatigued muscles (Such as on the second day of doing back-to-back long runs.), I need more fluid. If I consume only gel instead of a mix of gel and solid energy bars, I need less fluid. Quite obviously, I'm still very much a learner in this category (And, well, most categories in the fields of ultra- and trail-running.).
Despite my calves and thirsty gut, I had a good day out there. I've been dancing around the edges of self-doubt with regards to my preparation for this 50k, and yesterday's run was a confidence booster.
Posted by Meghan at June 13, 2007 8:49 AM
Comments
Awesome hill! It's the one to train on for that 50k for sure:)
Posted by: olga at June 13, 2007 11:01 AM
You're lucky you're a small frame. My big frame multiplies the hydration variation. Like my hot 76 mile Saturday caused me to need about 3.5 gallons of fluid. Fully 50% more than the max I anticipated. If I hadn't been near a water source, I would've had to quit much earlier.
Sounds like a great workout. I should do more hills, but I'm usually trapped in Denver. I don't like using gas, so I've been reducing my driving to a minimum.
You're getting some great training. I envy your scenic views!
Posted by: JeffO at June 13, 2007 11:03 AM
I don't think you'll ever get the hydration thing just right - because every time you are out, one of the variables changes. Heat/humidity/your hydration level going in/food/exertion. I'm thinking you figure out the max and that's what you take. Hard to figure.
Posted by: backofpack at June 13, 2007 10:04 PM