The MWRR Ramp Up: The Burke Test

Tried a run up Burke Mtn, up the Ski Trails. From the base lodge to the summit tower is a little over 2000ft. Tried it on 5/15 and again today. Today I averaged over 50ft/min, topping out in just over 38 minutes. About 30 seconds were spent watching the dogs submerge in a pool of water and peeing (me, not the dogs).

The best part is, not a single part of my body is sore. I took it easy on the way down (taking almost an hour) so I wouldn't fry my quads.

The aggravating part is that this time of year the ascent should be heart & lung limited - but my calves and hamstrings were aching by about 30 minutes. This is a steep route though - on my toes for most of it (in my trail-runners) up intermediate and black diamond routes. On the MWRR I believe it's flat-footed.

The graph at right shows elev vs. time for the two runs, about 3 weeks apart. The both average about 50ft/min with today's run slightly faster (by 4min). At this ascent rate, my finish time for a 4,650' ascent is about 90 minutes. I see no reason why I couldn't maintain today's rate for the full 4,650'. The big unknown is running on a road. I may try running up the Burke Mtn road and seeing how the times compare, or doing a 'sunrise' headlamp run up Mt. Washington, maybe friday, taking off two hours before sunrise to hit the summit for morning joy.