Back in the groove with my mid-week runs completed. Rang up thirty miles over the last three days, ALL burdened with an extra twenty six pounds of weight. Whether or not this is preparing me for the uphill struggles on Reunion, there are psychological benefits. After several weeks of escalating payloads (both in terms of weight carried and distance covered), I can actually feel the effect. Seems to be building up my calves, quads and even my arms, which is probably a minus since it is more mass to lug up and down Reunion’s mountain trails.
However, as beneficial as running is, I can’t say there is any palpable awareness that one is improving their fitness level. So even if my weighted runs are misplaced from the perspective of enhancing hill-climbing ability, the invigoration it yields from the sensation of getting stronger contributes valuable motivation to this weary soul. And after climbing out of bed at 4:30AM the last three mornings to scoot ten miles, positive feedback carries some currency…
Of course motivation has other sources. Jeff e-mailed another link he found which overviews a lot of the trails on Reunion, and it’s in English à Reunion Trails
My ultra covers several of the trails discussed here, and I find it both inspiring and downright scary. In the description of Piton des Neiges, the author remarks that the best way to tackle the highest point on Reunion is to break the hike into two days. While part of his reasoning is to permit a leisurely pace and absorb the scenery, this only represents the first eight miles and 3/4ths mile of elevation gain for the run. After this initial challenge I’ll still have fifty miles and over two miles of uphill remaining!!! Have I mentioned it's a good thing you only turn fifty once… J
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