I was itching to get out for a good long run while the weather was still nice.  The cold and rain are moving in, but the weekend still looked great!  I had originally wanted to run one of the races taking place in the mountains near my home, but ruled that out earlier in the week due to time constraints and feeling not quite ready to bite off another ultra after a dismal finish at the Bear Chase 50 miler 3 weeks ago.

I decided to head up on towards the race course and see some friends and cheer on the runners.  Making up my route as I went, I figured I would be out for at least 20 miles.

I ended up feeling great and put in a nice 32 mile run and had a fantastic day on the trails.

And a nice 4,200′ of climbing.

I linked up with the race course at their 8 mile mark just as some of the last runners in the 50 mile race went through.

I got to say hi to a few friends and started up the big climb with a long gap before the 50k runners would come along (they started two hours after the 50 milers).

James W. was leading the way and would go on to win the 50k by running wire to wire in the front.

I hung out a an aid station for a bit and enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have to grab something and rush off like usual.  It was nice to just enjoy the vibe.

The fall colors were a little past their peak, but still awesome.  I love the scenery at this time of year, and the weather was incredibly nice!

I ran with my new birthday present (Nathan Vapor Air pack), and it worked great.  I was totally self-supported for the full 32 miles and very comfortable.

I filled a Hydrapack SoftFlask with 3 scoops of Tailwind powder which got me through the first two hours, then I switched to water and gels for the remainder of the run.

It was great to finish early enough to enjoy lunch out with the family, as well as a little Halloween costume shopping…

This run was much needed confidence booster, and I was so grateful for the chance to spend some time in such a beautiful place.