Maple Street Loop/Pinnacle Loop

Last evening I jogged and walked the Maple Street Loop in 24:52.

This morning, starting at about 10:30 Central, I ran the Pinnacle Loop in 1:54:59.

The Pinnacle Loop starts at the Pinnacle Mountain Visitor's Center, follows the Ouachita Trail to the Pinnacle Mountain east parking lot, goes over Pinnacle to the west parking lot, along the base trail to the east lot, and on the Ouachita Trail back to the Visitor's Center. I believe it's about six miles.

I kept splits: It took 16:38 to the east lot, 33:49 to the top (23:42 from the base of the rocks to the top), 17:20 down, 27:03 on the base trail, and 20:09 back (of course, these splits are meaningless without the reference point established today, except for the base of the rocks to the top, which I did in 15:15 when I frequented the loop in 2003).

Best I can tell from my diary, I ran the Pinnacle Loop seven times from late April through mid-June of 2003. My times were 1:24:20, 1:31:18, 1:32:06, 1:32:43, 1:35:57, 1:38:40, and 1:42:34.

Next time (if there is one) I will try to start earlier, when it's cooler, or wait until evening, when it's drier, which I did exclusively in 2003.

NOTEWORTHY

WOULD YOU RATHER?

As I neared the top of Pinnacle Mountain from the east parking lot, a father approached with his c. 12- and 10-year-old daughters as they descended. I heard the father say, "Honey, don't worry so much about that bee that you fall."

"Would you rather be stung by a bee, or fall?" the 12-year-old said.

"I think I'd rather be stung," Dad said.

"That's a pretty good would-you-rather," I said.

The father laughed and said, "It is. Would you rather be stung by a bee or fall down Mount Pinnacle?"

"I'd have to go with the bee," I said.

"Me too."

"It's probably a little tougher for kids their age. They could fall and get right back up."

"That's right. They could roll all the way down the mountain and maybe skin their knees."

"We, on the other hand, would break every bone in our bodies."

NO SPRINT

I felt compelled to explain my time of 1:54:59 the instant I saw it. I did not rush to the finish to break 1:55. Granted, I would have had I looked at my watch the final minute, but did not.

I was however conscious of my time for the final 400 yards or so, a rocky, steep section from the Pinnacle Mountain Visitor's Center to Pinnacle Valley Road. It took me 2:30 for the descent going out, and 4:29 coming back.

BLOOD SUGAR

My blood glucose was at 176 when I awoke at 8 a.m. Central. I took one unit of short-term insulin (Novolog) and four of the long-term (Levemir). I drank a glass of iced coffee before I left my house, and ate two tubes of Gu during the run. It was at 142 when I returned home.

I did not suspect hypoglycemia at any point, but still planned to eat a tube of Gu at the top of Pinnacle Mountain. I forgot.

Shortly after I started the base trail on my return, I felt almost faint. Then I remembered the Gu. I ate a tube, felt better within minutes, and ate another at the east parking lot water fountain, and felt relatively fine the rest of the way, able to run all but the inclines.

OVERHEARD

"I wouldn't either, but I don't want to scare people."

— father to his 12-year-old daughter after she said, "I wouldn't wear a shirt if I was a boy."