Trail Running Challenge Blog (Ethan Banks)

Planning July 2023 Training

Taking a day to roll out extra with the stiff foam roller and the ball. I'll get into the gym for a strength workout soon. I might get outside, but it's warm and very humid + raining. In theory, I'm supposed to be on the bike doing an "accelerations" run, but I don't want to be pelted in the face with rain while trying to figure out that somewhat complex workout I've never attempted before.

I have travel next week to the west coast for a tech event, and I'm thinking through how to not lose those days. Reviewing the calendar, I'm scheduled from roughly 7:45a - 9pm local time Wednesday and Thursday. There are gaps, but not enough to get in a run during the day. My opening is get up early and make a run happen, which I loathe. That's my best option though, especially with my body on east coast time. Tuesday is a travel day, but I land at SFO with enough time to get in a run before the evening schedule kicks off. Thursday night is a red eye back to the east coast and home Friday early afternoon. I doubt I'll be doing much other than sleeping once I make it in, though. I don't sleep well on red eyes, although I'm going to take a half of an antihistamine tablet and see if it helps. So, I can get in a run Tuesday unless I have travel delays. Wednesday & Thursday if I get my butt out of bed. Friday, probably not. That's not so bad. Maybe I can get some strength work in, too. The hotel fitness center shows a rack of dumbbells and a couple of benches.

Another thing I'm working on are long routes in the Whites. I need 15 peaks to grid out July, and I've gotten that down to 6 hikes/runs, making some of them long routes.

These are the long routes where I need to have a full day available to complete the route.

  1. Garfield + Twins. 3 peaks, 17.2 miles, 5,500’ vert. Loop.
  2. Hancocks + Osceolas. 4, 17.3, 5,800’. Two out-n-backs.
  3. Zealand + Bonds. 4, 18.3, 4,850’. Out-n-back.

These are via the standard routes. Maybe I'll do something crazy with Tecumseh like a double traverse, but in general I can tackle these as a combined power hike/run starting in the afternoon and coming out by headlamp if it happens to take that long.

  1. Moriah.
  2. Passaconaway + Whiteface.
  3. Tecumseh.

Another long route I've settled on is a loop centered around Franconia Notch State Park. ~23 miles and 9,100' vert.

  1. Park at the Basin.
  2. Up Flume Slide Trail.
  3. North on the FRT to Lafayette.
  4. Descend Greenleaf. Stop at the hut for water, snacks, socks.
  5. Descend Greenleaf to the Old Man parking.
  6. Cut across the bottom of the notch to KRT northern terminus.
  7. Summit Cannon.
  8. South on the KRT to S. Kinsman.
  9. Backtrack the KRT to Fishin' Jimmy.
  10. Drop to the hut. Water, snacks, socks.
  11. Descend Cascade Brook + Basin Cascades Trails to complete the loop.

I have a few other routes I've plotted that I can't get my head around yet, but I'll write them up when they start to seem manageable.

I'm focused on July as the time to understand what my body needs to get through the longer days of mileage & vert and maintain a decent pace in the Whites. This should prep me for a Hut-To-Hut-24 attempt in August. The H2H24, assuming I can get it done, should give me the rest of what I need to know about getting through Kilkenny Ridge Race in mid-September.