Das Cut

Somewhat easy loop with Brian at lunch today over to the Cut. I haven't gone straight up this route in a while, always looking to tag on a few extra miles and taking the long way up. There are arguments as to which route is harder, but taking it on straight up is definitely tough no matter how you slice it. You break into a long narrow valley about 3/4 mile long, with a looming hill in the distance. Staring this thing down is enough to get your heart rate up. The rain we got yesterday and today didn't help with traction on the early portion of the climb, and although the baseball-size rocks kept the mud to a minimum, they didn't help out my ankles at all.

I remember this route as one of my first runs with the lunch group when I started in Malvern a little over a year ago. I was still recovering from my ankle injury then and had lost a lot of fitness over the subsequent months. By the time I got to Malvern, I was in pretty bad shape and this run nearly broke me. I'm glad to say that now, while not much easier, it somehow doesn't seem as daunting as it once did. This just proves how perception can change over time and most of the reasons for not trying something in the first place is fear. Thrust yourself into the thick of things and pretty soon it becomes the norm, not leaving much room for doubt.

As an added bonus, Brian and I happened across a solo jogger heading in the opposite direction from us on the way back. As we got closer, I heard him yell out my name and quickly recognized him as my neighbor in Conshohocken. When we first moved in, I remembered he told me that he worked for JCI in Spring House, not far from where I worked. Now I'm wondering if his company doesn't do contract work for JNJ. I'll have to find out. Maybe I've just found myself another running partner.

About 5.5 miles. Untimed.