Mt Kearsarge

 My ankles were a still a bit sore from the Ossipee run so instead of hitting the trails today I decided to head up the toll road at Mt Kearsarge.  This is one of my favorites (I'd done it 15 times before) and the idea of catching sunrise at a fire tower is always enticing.

Based on past runs I figured I needed about 45 minutes to cover the 4 miles to the summit.  If I timed it out correctly I'd be on the top with 5 minutes to spare before sunrise.  The first 3.5 are paved road and the last 1/2 mile is a rough (but not brutal) trail.  I'd gain 1,800', with the first and last miles being the toughest with about 1,200' of the climb.  The other 2 miles had climb but also had some breaks and even some downhill.

I hit the road at 5am adding on .2 (as it is only 3.93 to the top) to get me to 8 miles for the morning and to loosen up a bit.  I couldn't get my headlamp to work but at less than an hour to sunrise and a paved road underfoot it really wasn't needed.

I felt pretty good and even pushed it a little.  It had been five years since my last time up here but I remembered every twist and turn.  I covered the 3.5 miles to the upper parking lot in 30:33.  That was the fastest I've ever done it in a training run.  The last time I'd raced it in 2005 I'd run a 29:09 and when I set the course record in 1999 I'd run a 23:48.

The last 1/2 mile up the trail was a grind and I reached the top in 36:45 (plus the additional 2:18 before the start) for a total time of 39:03.

I spent 13 minutes on top taking pictures and enjoying the view.

I took my time getting down the trail section safely (6:45 which was slower than my climb!) then chugged down the road in a total of 35:01.  Great fun!