Malvern Group Trail Run Up the Cut

Early afternoon

Braving the midday heat were several coworkers headed out into Malvern and the surrounding area for a trail run. I happened to get swept up into the thick of things and joined them, testing out the stability of my ankle yet again. I have been running/playing on it roughly once per week for the last 2-3 weeks and aside from some faint soreness it really hasn't been bothering me.

The workout headed down some roads and finally onto some trails carved out by what I think are some 4-wheelers, or possibly some access roads to the power lines that cut through the area. Which brings me to the name of the main hill in this route: the cut. I haven't asked anyone why specifically it's called this, but I'm sure I'll find out later.

The cut isn't a long arduous hill. In fact, there is a much longer, winding trail up the hill that meets this description. The direct route is pretty much what you might guess: steep, rocky, and unforgiving. The grade starts out moderate, if not difficult, but it's compounded by the sheer wall that looms before you as you move higher up. The last 100 meters are easily higher that 20% incline and you are gasping for every breath of air your lungs can take.

To make things even harder, the heat and the humidity we've been having this summer get sucked up by the surrounding woods, making said breath of fresh air very difficult to come by. The air is hot, stagnant, and muggy and there is very little reprieve. But up is the only way to go and so getting to top as fast as possible is the only way to get past this obstacle.

I made it up the hill in about 3:03, which is not too bad. I did start walking at the very top and seemed to keep pace with someone who seemed to be jogging in place. Once at the top, another mile or so of trails winds you back and forth and finally out of the woods and then down an equally long road descent. I went bombing down this road, really trying to ignore any sort of preconceived notions about speed and soon I was alone at the bottom of the hill. Finally gravity benefits me. Suffice it to say that I paid for this descent later on with very sore quads.

No idea how long we actually ran. I'm guessing 5.5 miles in 48:19.