A “Bear” of a run coming

With the "Bear Run" looming very near on my horizon, my thoughts have shifted from relaxing on the beach and running very flat bike pathways to how in the world am I going to climb to the top of Grand Father Mountain. In all honesty, my strategy is to follow the Nike slogan "Just Do It".

Hence, with no real preparation for this race and lots of miles on flat road, my expectations have to be realistic. Goalwise, maybe there could be a sub 40 minute time and top 100 would also be nice. The difficult part is the execution of a game plan. Luckily, with no major goals and thus no real pressure I can just go run.

Now, I know it is steep. I have previously been Grand Father Mountain and remembered how my car engine ached loudly during the climb to the top. My heart will most likely be doing the same thing over the entire 5 miles. One thing that I have learned, when it gets so steep, sometimes walking is faster than running.

I'll have my sunglasses with me so I will be documented the entire experience for everyone to see.

 

Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner