Back to Hefner Lake

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Don't get me wrong, a nice trail in the woods (i.e. Bluff Creek trail)--or better yet the mountain--would be my ideal place to run; but I find myself back at Hefner Lake to work on increasing my mileage. I would say that 9.5 miles is a good distance for an ultra runner to run on a regular basis. The most I have ever ran there is three laps (I called it 30 miles).

There are a few reasons I like this trail, but the most important is this: If you get half way around, you are committed to finish the whole thing! I don't care if you have to walk or crawl, if you are dehydrated or hypoglycemic--you have to get back to your car. Many times I will get to the back half and it will start storming, and while rain is beating down on me and I am dodging lightning, I don't stop because I have to get back home. Its good motivation.

Currently, I am running Hefner every other day. Surprisingly, I am able to maintain 10 minute miles and I am having no injuries and very little soreness on my days off.
I am not sure about the ultra races at Bluff Creek in October, so I am not necessarily training for anything, but it is nice to get my mileage back up...and who knows, if I am ready for it and the race isn't full yet, maybe I will sign up. In the meantime, I am working on getting to a point where I can run the Hefner Lake trail every day for 6 days (about 57 miles). Then I will begin the long runs (20 miles and more).