Reservior Trail: Do Over

Have you ever had that kind of run that keeps you up at night?  Makes you want to go back because you know you can do better?  That's how I felt about the Reservoir trail run I did with my friend Liza earlier this month. 

It was rough.  Took me out for a week but I really wanted to do it again.

The Reservoir trail really is a beautiful trail in the Middlesex Fells Reservation.  It's about a 6 mile loop around 3 reservoirs; South Reservoir, Middle Reservoir, and North Reservoir.  The trail crosses two towns, Medford and Winchester and is marked with orange markers.  It can be hilly but it's not very technical.  It has a lot of little nuisances in the many rocks and roots waiting to trip you up.  The Skyline trail (white markers) also circles the reservoirs as well as some access roads and smaller unmarked paths.

 
When we went up earlier this month we had fun but definitely made a few mistakes that left us fried at the end of the run.  What was supposed to be a 13 mile run turned into 15 miles and change and a slow zombie trot/march back to home base.

I think about the run and I shake my head a little.
 
1) We set out late.  We left my house at around 11:45am.  I take full blame for this.  I have a hard time shifting gears and leaving the house.  Leaving that late meant that we were running the 2.5 miles up on the roads with the full sun overhead...no shade...no relief.  I was tired before I even made it to the trails.

2) The route I mapped out ahead of time was supposed to take us from the road directly onto the Reservoir trail but I didn't take into account that the road we were supposed to run on didn't have a shoulder.  It was unsafe for us to run on the road so we entered the Fells on an early unmarked path about a mile south of our destination trail and there began the saga of getting turned around.

3) Once on the trail, we didn't stick to the orange markers.  Most points on the Reservoir trail are far off the actual reservoirs themselves.  The views aren't as good.  Running on the unmarked foot paths near the shore was much prettier and at times offered easier footing.  We paid the price for our improvisation and went in a couple of serious circles.  The circle that broke me was at about the time when I was running out of water.  I sat on a stump and thought, "Lord, take me now!"

4) It was a hot day and I didn't bring nearly enough water.  I brought only my 16 ounce handheld bottle.  I think I knew I needed more than I'd brought but part of me got into that runner comparison mode.  Liza was only bringing one bottle and so would I!  Not a good idea considering I sweat like 20x more than her.  I was out of water by mile 10 with 5 more to go!  Thankfully, once we got on the roads again there was a CVS about a mile away.

Note:  Runners, stop comparing yourselves!  It only leads to epic bonking.  Do you!

5) I don't remember how many Shot bloks I took but I know it definitely wasn't enough.   



Yesterday's run though, was like night and day.

Don't get me wrong, it was still tough. Trail running is tough. The heat is tough. But, I think I did a bit better. It helped that it was a bit cooler, a mere 80 degrees instead of the high 80s it was that earlier day. But mostly, I was just better prepared.

  

This time around,

• I set out earlier, I left my house at about 9:15am.
• Brought plenty of liquids. I used my 16 ounce handheld with water plus my two 12 ounce Nathan bottles (1 with Nuun electrolyte drink and the other with more water).
• I took the Middle Road to get to the Resevoir trail.  This was much less strenuous than the Skyline trail.  It felt like a breeze by comparison.
• I STUCK TO THE ORANGE MARKERS!  Improvising on the trail was our biggest problem.  Not knowing the trail, we really should have stuck to the markers.  This time I was determined to follow the path.  I missed a turn here or there but it really wasn't that bad.
• I also bought a map of the Fells to have just in case.  I didn't use it on this run but can see it coming in handy. 

Lessons lessons lessons.

Trail running is all about getting out there and getting experience.  I'm still not very good at it (I do a heap of walking) but I'm learning.  The difference between this time and last time on the very same trail was encouraging.  I planned a little bit better for myself and received a huge return in a mostly comfortable run.

Follow the orange markers!

And bonus! I got a pic of a huge palm sized butterfly.  I see these black butterflies all the time up in the Fells.  They usually catch the corner of my eye and freak me out before I can zero in and focus on them.  This one was having fun in the sun and I was able to get right up close for the picture.

What about you?

Have you ever epically bonked on a trail and gone back for more?