Blacks Creek

It was  beautiful day to be outside yesterday!  I am in the final stages of getting ready for the Antelope Island Buffalo Run 100 miler so I went out to Blacks Creek to get in some long miles on terrain similar to the course.

I started at the fork of Mayfield Road and Blacks Creek Road so I could use it as a central point aid station.  This would allow me to have water, food, and clothes options like race day.  The first leg was back to Bonneville Point and along the Oregon Trail back towards Boise.  Just before I turned around the moon set over the city and it was absolutely gorgeous.  It was an amber color above the city lights ans shrouded in wispy clouds.  I attempted a picture but it just didn't work.

The was rising as headed back to Bonneville Point and the deer started popping out everywhere.  These lower foothills are their winter range so it isn't uncommon to see them here.  I probably saw 50 deer all day.  I arrived back at my car after 14 miles and just over two hours.  I have been experimenting with OFM to see if I can reduce my reliance on carbohydrates in general and more specifically in training so I went without any calories for this first section.

I changed clothes and grabbed my pack with 60 ounces of water and 450 calories of Tailwind for the next stretch that I had anticipated would be around 16 miles.  It starts with 6 miles of uphill and then I was going to turn off the road and get on an old motorcycle trail.  After I hit the top I realized the road was now marked as a private mining operation and off limits.  It also had a foot of snow on it covered with solid ice so I just turned around and ran the six miles downhill.

On the way up I had noticed an arrow with a broadhead tip attached laying on the side of the road.  I made a mental note of it so I could grab it on the way back to show my kids.  I picked it up and ran with it for about 3 miles which was probably a pretty dumb idea if you have ever seen a broadhead.

This turnaround left me short of my distance goal so when I got back to the car the second time I ditched my long sleeve shirt and gloves since it was beginning to warm up then headed east on Mayfield Road.  Mayfield is a tiny town and this road was once the stagecoach route years and years ago.  I don't know for sure but I imagine the stagecoach route followed the original Oregon Trail route.  Just before I turned around for the last time I saw 300 elk just grazing out in the wide open sagebrush which was really cool.  I stopped and got the picture above just as the pavement ended.  The elk were about 1 mile from here and only 5 miles on a paved road from the interstate.  I was feeling very fortunate to live in a place where all of this is so close and accessible if you want to go see it.

I was happy with how I felt and how my fueling, electrolytes, and hydration went.  I ran everything except the last bit of mile 19 and even managed to run 6:30 pace for final quarter mile to the car.  I was never out of breath the whole way and was right at 100 mile race pace which is encouraging considering my overall pace.  Now I just have to figure out how to do this 3 times at that same speed!