LRiz
New member
After having to take it easy for a few weeks due to a calf strain, I was just thrilled to see the weekend weather forecast shape up perfectly for my first Pemi Loop of 2012. Heading into the run, I had no idea what to expect. My former PR on the loop was 9:26 back in 2010, so I figured that if I could best that and come in around 9 hours I'd be quite happy!
At 6:55am I started my run at the far side of the Lincoln Woods bridge.
Temperatures were in the low 50s, and I quickly settled into a steady pace, reaching the Bondcliff Trail Junction at 7:38am.
The climb up Bondcliff went surprisingly smoothly. After the first water crossing I decided to take out my running poles, which I ended up using for the remainder of the loop. Electing to run with poles is hands-down one of the single best things that I've done to improve my confidence/speed in the mountains. I've always been very tentative on terrain that is at all technical (thanks to my weak ankles), and the poles have made a world of difference for me. At 8:47am I reached Bondcliff.
My calves were feeling a bit crampy so I took some salt and proceeded somewhat carefully up to Bond. Fortunately, the cramps went away quickly, though I felt somewhat sluggish and sloppy climbing up Bond. I reached the summit at 9:10am.
The run out to Guyot is always a joy for me, as the view looking back towards West Bond is one of my favorites in the Whites. I reached Guyot at 9:29am, passing a large group of friendly hikers on the way.
While navigating the Twinway up to South Twin, I was surprised at how many stretches of the trail I was able to run (as they had been unrunnable for me on past loops). I settled into a steady rhythm, focusing on foot placement and letting the miles tick by. At 10:01am I was on the summit. The views were unbelievable, so I took the time to snap a few pictures and then headed on my way.
The stretch down from South Twin to Galehead Hut has always been challenging for me, and I was curious to see if/how the poles would help. I had made decent time on the stretch a few weeks back while running a different loop, but could not recall my split. Amazingly the poles - coupled with ideal, dry trail conditions - had me down at the hut in 17 minutes - a new PR for me! I arrived at the hut at 10:18am, 3 hours and 22 minutes into my run and a good 1/2 hour faster than I'd ever reached the hut before.
At this point I realized that if I remained consistent and steady, I just might have a sub-9 Pemi in me! I took around 6 minutes at the hut to refill my bladder and swap out my gel flask, and then proceeded down the Garfield Ridge Trail. A few tenths before the Gale River/Garfield Ridge Trail Junction I had the pleasure of bumping into my friends Boo and Mad Hatter, which energized me for the tough stretch of trail to come.
The Garfield Ridge Trail was the driest that that I've ever seen it, and my Hokas held up marvelously on some of the slabbier sections that had given me trouble in the past. Hiking up to Garfield felt slow as it always does, but by making sure to gel consistently I managed to reach the summit at 11:22am without bonking. Standing at the viewpoint, the climb up to Lafayette looked somewhat intimidating, but I was feeling good and ready to take on the challenge.
In the past I have ALWAYS hit a massive low point on this section of the loop, which ultimately forced me to walk long stretches of trail that I probably could have jogged. In fact, one of my goals going into my loop was to not bonk climbing up Lafayette... and amazingly, I didn't. I ran every stretch of trail that was runnable (for me), and made sure to dictate my climbing pace based entirely upon my heart rate. It worked, and I felt just wonderful! Right before the Skookumchuck Trail Junction I passed another friendly runner out on a counterclockwise loop. He mentioned that he had happened to be out on the loop when the men's FKT was set last year, and inquired about my time. I glanced at my watch and realized that I was 5 hours and 15 minutes into my run. I couldn't believe it. If I could maintain 3mph over Franconia Ridge I would definitely attain my goal!
Reaching North Lafayette always energizes me. The thrill of being on Franconia Ridge - knowing that all of your major climbs are out of the way and that you've got a sweet section of runnable trail ahead of you - always gives me second wind. At 12:26pm I was on the summit of Lafayette.
My mantra of the day became focused, steady, consistent, and I repeated the words over and over again in my head as I flew down the ridge. I couldn't believe how solid I felt, and I was pleased that I still had plenty of fluid in my bladder (as the prospect of having to ration my water always stresses me out). My pace remained solid all the way to Liberty, which I reached at 1:21pm.
...Flume quickly followed at 1:42pm. I decided to check my watch one more time prior to my final descent, and could not believe my eyes when I saw that the total elapsed time was 6 hours and 46 minutes. Had I really made such good time across Franconia Ridge? Emotion started to build inside of me when I realized that I had a shot of not just breaking 9 hours, but breaking 8...
Focused, steady, consistent. I took a shot of gel and bounded down the ever-wonderful Osseo trail. I knew it would be doable for me to run the last 5.6 miles in 1 hour 13 minutes, but a part of me was absolutely terrified that I would take a fall. Therefore, I made sure that I was very careful on the ladders and only pushed the pace where the footing was good. On the summit of Flume I'd made a decision not to look at my watch until the Lincoln Woods Bridge, as I didn't want the added stress... but when I reached the Wilderness Trail something in me realized that I was going to achieve my time goal.
Those last 1.4 miles flew by. Tears streamed down my face as I sprinted across the suspension bridge and I stopped my watch. 7 hours, 40 minutes, 52 seconds. I had bested my former Pemi Loop PR by 1 hour and 45 minutes.
I had headed into the run with the goal of breaking my former PR. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd ever be able to run a Pemi Loop in under 9 hours, let alone 8. Even after a huge dinner and solid night of rest, I'm finding it difficult to take it all in...
Splits
My total elapsed time was taken using my HRM stopwatch. I tracked my splits by taking pictures with my iPhone during the run. It was actually pretty neat to see that the phone tracks picture times down to the second! Since I did not take start/finish pictures and start my stopwatch concurrently, there is a 21 second difference between the total elapsed time clocked on my watch (7:40:52) and via my pictures (7:41:13).
Start - 6:55:54am
Bondcliff Junction - 7:38:35am (0:42:41)
Bondcliff - 8:47:52am (1:51:58)
Bond - 9:10:23am (2:14:29)
Guyot - 9:29:37am (2:33:43)
South Twin - 10:01:09am (3:05:15)
Galehead Hut - 10:18:23am (3:22:29)
Lafayette - 12:26:57pm (5:31:03)
Liberty - 1:21:16pm (6:25:22)
Flume - 1:42:17pm (6:46:23)
Finish - 2:37:07 (7:41:13)
Some Fun Facts...
Calories burned - 4,259
Total fuel consumed - 14 gels (8 Honey Stingers, 6 Vega Sport Gels), 4 packs of StrongerFasterHealthier Endurance Whey, 2188 calories
Average HR - 151
All pictures from the run can be viewed here.
At 6:55am I started my run at the far side of the Lincoln Woods bridge.
Temperatures were in the low 50s, and I quickly settled into a steady pace, reaching the Bondcliff Trail Junction at 7:38am.
The climb up Bondcliff went surprisingly smoothly. After the first water crossing I decided to take out my running poles, which I ended up using for the remainder of the loop. Electing to run with poles is hands-down one of the single best things that I've done to improve my confidence/speed in the mountains. I've always been very tentative on terrain that is at all technical (thanks to my weak ankles), and the poles have made a world of difference for me. At 8:47am I reached Bondcliff.
My calves were feeling a bit crampy so I took some salt and proceeded somewhat carefully up to Bond. Fortunately, the cramps went away quickly, though I felt somewhat sluggish and sloppy climbing up Bond. I reached the summit at 9:10am.
The run out to Guyot is always a joy for me, as the view looking back towards West Bond is one of my favorites in the Whites. I reached Guyot at 9:29am, passing a large group of friendly hikers on the way.
While navigating the Twinway up to South Twin, I was surprised at how many stretches of the trail I was able to run (as they had been unrunnable for me on past loops). I settled into a steady rhythm, focusing on foot placement and letting the miles tick by. At 10:01am I was on the summit. The views were unbelievable, so I took the time to snap a few pictures and then headed on my way.
The stretch down from South Twin to Galehead Hut has always been challenging for me, and I was curious to see if/how the poles would help. I had made decent time on the stretch a few weeks back while running a different loop, but could not recall my split. Amazingly the poles - coupled with ideal, dry trail conditions - had me down at the hut in 17 minutes - a new PR for me! I arrived at the hut at 10:18am, 3 hours and 22 minutes into my run and a good 1/2 hour faster than I'd ever reached the hut before.
At this point I realized that if I remained consistent and steady, I just might have a sub-9 Pemi in me! I took around 6 minutes at the hut to refill my bladder and swap out my gel flask, and then proceeded down the Garfield Ridge Trail. A few tenths before the Gale River/Garfield Ridge Trail Junction I had the pleasure of bumping into my friends Boo and Mad Hatter, which energized me for the tough stretch of trail to come.
The Garfield Ridge Trail was the driest that that I've ever seen it, and my Hokas held up marvelously on some of the slabbier sections that had given me trouble in the past. Hiking up to Garfield felt slow as it always does, but by making sure to gel consistently I managed to reach the summit at 11:22am without bonking. Standing at the viewpoint, the climb up to Lafayette looked somewhat intimidating, but I was feeling good and ready to take on the challenge.
In the past I have ALWAYS hit a massive low point on this section of the loop, which ultimately forced me to walk long stretches of trail that I probably could have jogged. In fact, one of my goals going into my loop was to not bonk climbing up Lafayette... and amazingly, I didn't. I ran every stretch of trail that was runnable (for me), and made sure to dictate my climbing pace based entirely upon my heart rate. It worked, and I felt just wonderful! Right before the Skookumchuck Trail Junction I passed another friendly runner out on a counterclockwise loop. He mentioned that he had happened to be out on the loop when the men's FKT was set last year, and inquired about my time. I glanced at my watch and realized that I was 5 hours and 15 minutes into my run. I couldn't believe it. If I could maintain 3mph over Franconia Ridge I would definitely attain my goal!
Reaching North Lafayette always energizes me. The thrill of being on Franconia Ridge - knowing that all of your major climbs are out of the way and that you've got a sweet section of runnable trail ahead of you - always gives me second wind. At 12:26pm I was on the summit of Lafayette.
My mantra of the day became focused, steady, consistent, and I repeated the words over and over again in my head as I flew down the ridge. I couldn't believe how solid I felt, and I was pleased that I still had plenty of fluid in my bladder (as the prospect of having to ration my water always stresses me out). My pace remained solid all the way to Liberty, which I reached at 1:21pm.
...Flume quickly followed at 1:42pm. I decided to check my watch one more time prior to my final descent, and could not believe my eyes when I saw that the total elapsed time was 6 hours and 46 minutes. Had I really made such good time across Franconia Ridge? Emotion started to build inside of me when I realized that I had a shot of not just breaking 9 hours, but breaking 8...
Focused, steady, consistent. I took a shot of gel and bounded down the ever-wonderful Osseo trail. I knew it would be doable for me to run the last 5.6 miles in 1 hour 13 minutes, but a part of me was absolutely terrified that I would take a fall. Therefore, I made sure that I was very careful on the ladders and only pushed the pace where the footing was good. On the summit of Flume I'd made a decision not to look at my watch until the Lincoln Woods Bridge, as I didn't want the added stress... but when I reached the Wilderness Trail something in me realized that I was going to achieve my time goal.
Those last 1.4 miles flew by. Tears streamed down my face as I sprinted across the suspension bridge and I stopped my watch. 7 hours, 40 minutes, 52 seconds. I had bested my former Pemi Loop PR by 1 hour and 45 minutes.
I had headed into the run with the goal of breaking my former PR. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd ever be able to run a Pemi Loop in under 9 hours, let alone 8. Even after a huge dinner and solid night of rest, I'm finding it difficult to take it all in...
Splits
My total elapsed time was taken using my HRM stopwatch. I tracked my splits by taking pictures with my iPhone during the run. It was actually pretty neat to see that the phone tracks picture times down to the second! Since I did not take start/finish pictures and start my stopwatch concurrently, there is a 21 second difference between the total elapsed time clocked on my watch (7:40:52) and via my pictures (7:41:13).
Start - 6:55:54am
Bondcliff Junction - 7:38:35am (0:42:41)
Bondcliff - 8:47:52am (1:51:58)
Bond - 9:10:23am (2:14:29)
Guyot - 9:29:37am (2:33:43)
South Twin - 10:01:09am (3:05:15)
Galehead Hut - 10:18:23am (3:22:29)
Lafayette - 12:26:57pm (5:31:03)
Liberty - 1:21:16pm (6:25:22)
Flume - 1:42:17pm (6:46:23)
Finish - 2:37:07 (7:41:13)
Some Fun Facts...
Calories burned - 4,259
Total fuel consumed - 14 gels (8 Honey Stingers, 6 Vega Sport Gels), 4 packs of StrongerFasterHealthier Endurance Whey, 2188 calories
Average HR - 151
All pictures from the run can be viewed here.
Last edited:
Absolutely amazing, Lriz!
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