Dreaming Long Dreams
October 5, 2007 by Bryon Powell · 5 Comments
I sit here barely having run the past three weeks terribly frustrated with my body and with not being able to run. However, that’s not stopping me from daydreaming big dreams. :-) A desire has been building within me to tackle some intermediate length trails end-to-end. In the past I’d envisioned running these trails in a supported manner, but I’m getting the urge to just go out to a trail head… and, well, just go. The thought of this excites me greatly. I have some specific trails in mind,but am not about to share them yet.
This new idea raises far more questions that I would have imagined, but here’s a few. To start, do I have the courage to try one of these? Seriously, I am a big time scaredy cat. Most of the time I wouldn’t use a pacer in a 100 if it weren’t for the fact that I’d be scared shitless without one. (This happened when I dropped my pacer with 15 miles to go at Western States in 2005.) Also, as I’ve barely ever camped, let alone fast hiked or tried something like this, I haven’t a clue what kind of gear I would need. Where would I start looking for a pack? What’s the lightest shelter/sleeping arrangement that I can get away with. How would I take care of food and water? So much to learn. Anyone who reads this ever run/walked a trail in the 100-300 mile range? Know of someone who has? Please get in touch.
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Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
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This should get you started:
http://www.andrewskurka.com/
You could get in touch with Catra Corbett – here’s a link to her blog Dirt Diva and her blog of her recent PCT record attempt:
http://www.trailgirl.blogspot.com/
http://www.catrapct.blogspot.com/
Thanks anonymous and KC! Who are you?! Great help.
My friend Ben is on his way back to DC – he just hiked the AT. Even if what you want to do is slightly different, I’m sure that he can help you figure it out.
LR, it would be great to talk to Ben about his recent AT adventure. I’ve got some close ultrarunner friends who’ve through hiked the AT, but they did it a while ago. IT would be neat to hear what gear Ben liked most, as it’s likely to be new. That said, my gear is likely to be much more minimalist as I need to run with it. I found lost of good fast-hiking/long trail info in the 5 years of running and outdoor mags I went through yesterday. :-)