Flying Squirrel Pre-Race Thoughts - 16 weeks until the 100
I’m currently sitting on my front porch, water bottle responsibly next to me, listening to the light summer storm that has decided to finally roll on through and give Asheville a bit of a reprieve, albeit a few hours too late. It was a hot one today. Toasty. Without the cinnamon. Mostly due to the humidity but the sun was a steady accomplice. Perhaps this is one the first hot days of the season so it felt extra spicy out there but it was a strong slap in the face of a reminder that I need to be drinking water because I’ll be running 10 miles tomorrow morning.
The Flying Squirrel run is a neat little race a few blocks north of downtown Asheville. I ran the inaugural one in 2022, finishing in 2:02, which is about a 12:21 min/mile pace. That’s a bit slow compared to the type of paces I’ve been churning out on road lately so I’m feeling optimistic that I can shave off at least 10 minutes of my final time. For comparison, in February, I ran an 18 mile training run that began by pretty much running the exact same route as the Flying Squirrel and my average pace was closer to 9:40ish or so. However, that was during my peak road marathon training and now I’ve entered my backwards hat wearing, trail running, endurance mindset era so I know I’ll be a tad slower than that but excited to see a bit of improvement.
The run involves starting just a few blocks away from the Trader Joe’s and heads uphill on Sunset Drive for five consistently gaining miles. You climb about 1,000 ft and then run back down, giving your total elevation profile a very symmetrical and satisfying pyramid shape. You get a few beautiful views of the city, expensive mountain homes, and if it was anything like 2022, a few black bears and white squirrels hanging around.
Coincidentally, this is a pretty big race weekend for the WNC area. Not only is the Flying Squirrel run going on, but also the Ridge to Rails 50k and half marathon (of which, I did the 50k last year), the Black Mountain Monster (which is a 6, 12, and 24 hour looped event that I did in 2023 - 12 hour option), and the River Arts District (RAD) Half Marathon (which I also did in 2022).
With plenty of options for this weekend, I’m very happy with my decision to choose the Flying Squirrel. Not only does the 10 mile run EXACTLY match my 100 mile training plan callout for this week, but it’s also the quickest race, which is perfect because I am heading down to Georgia immediately after to hang out with some of my disc golf buddies.
Fingers crossed for some decent weather, good times, and maybe a white squirrel sighting!
