107 minutes
easy to moderate pace
2:15pm - hazy sunshine and clouds, cool - headed out from the Eldorado Mountain TH, up the Fowler into Eldorado Canyon State Park, once at the Visitor's Center I headed west up the Eldorado Canyon Trail - got to the trail's high point at about 45 minutes - here I had a decision to make: 1) turn around or 2) keep going west, descending the hill to the junction with the Walker Ranch loop, then turn around - I kept going - down the hill to Walker Ranch (that little section - from the high point down to Walker - was new to my feet; never been on that section before) - turned around at 53 minutes and immediately felt very tired - climbed back up the Eldorado Canyon Trail, then down the east side back to the Visitor's Center - at this point I was not only damn tired but I was starting to bonk - I was getting the chills and was fantasizing about cold beers (like a Raspberry Wheat beer from Southern Sun) - just concentrated and plugged along the Fowler back to the TH - ended up not completely bonked, but about half way to a nasty bonk - should have eaten a bigger lunch and/or brought some energy gels with me - had a Coke and some of Nee's famous fried rice when I got home and felt just fine - gotta do more of these hilly long runs (and eat more) so they don't seem so tough - beautiful day, beautiful run.
