Up and down Tantalus

Last night I did something which I am both proud of, and think was very stupid. I ran up and back down Tantalus. Alone.

It took 62m up and 45m down. The stupid part was that I didn't allot enough time to get down before it got dark. I had no light or reflector so cars could see me, and I didn't bring a flashlight either. I did manage to get down to the residental section where they have street lamps before it got dark, but I really had to hustle. I probably did my knees no favor. Going down wasn't really a problem, but I'd like to be able to take my time and pay attention to my stride so I don't hurt myself.

From now on:
- wear a light/reflector
- see if I can get someone to come with me and park a car at the top.
- check when the sun is supposed to go down and plan to be back at the car a half hour before that at the latest. The sun may be still over the horizon, but it gets dark up there early due to the trees.

I felt pretty strong the whole way. I told myself I could walk past the turnout areas on my side, but no where else. When I hit the end of the turnout, I had to run, and I mostly stuck to that. Since the turnouts are mostly at the beginning of the hill where it's steepest, it worked out well. It's easier to keep yourself going up a tough section when you know there's the option of a guilt-free rest reward up ahead. Since I haven't been doing that much running lately, I used most of the turnouts. I hope to use fewer of them as I progress.

Still, I am rather proud of myself. Tantalus is 4.7 miles long, so I ran 9.4 miles yesterday. To see where I've come from last August, less than a year, it's a huge change. I never would have thought about doing something like this without someone else telling me to. Yet, there I was, with no reason other than I thought it would be good for me. I ran almost five miles uphill. Amazing. Does this make me an athlete?