Sunday’s back to back training run called for a 10 mile strength run. It was still early-ish in the day, the sun was out, I needed to take my new Christmas present shoes – Hoka One One Stinson Trails – out for their maiden voyage, and the mountains were calling!
Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah Alps is an easy 20 minutes away, but that also makes for a crowded Tradition Plateau parking lot. It was a crisp 34 degrees (f), but in the sun I warmed along with the help of some gloves and my other new Christmas present (from myself to myself) running tights. After losing our way navigating the Tradition Lake Loop and cutting the route in half, we made up for it by running a 7 mile, 2000 foot gain, out and back over a portion of the Tiger Mountain Trail and Lingering Trail. It was a bit more elevation than I was looking to run, but when the Gorge Waterfalls 50k with 6000 feet of elevation gain rolls around in 83 days(!), I’m pretty sure I’ll wish I had run even more hills.
I capped off the run with a few dates, a tall drip, and (I swear this is the first time I’ve ever bought these) two krispy kreme doughnuts (empty calories, I know, but they were oh so delicious.)
Trail to 50 