One of my ultrarunning friends, Dean, reached out to me about wanting to do some FKTs. I was definitely interested in doing Gate to 8 out of the ones he mentioned.
Gate to 8 sounded like a good idea because I knew that it would be challenging, but only for a short time, unlike ultramarathons. This would be my third time out to the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail this year, so how to run it was fresh in my mind. I’ve only been there once before this year, so it has been the summer of running at Laurel.
This also sounded like a good idea because I wondered what it would be like running back down those three climbs that I’ve only experienced going up. I knew that it would eventually hurt my quads, but I did enough downhill training for the Laurel Highlands Ultra, back in June, so I wasn’t worried about it.
Lastly, this was a good way to sort of make up for not having the performance that I wanted in the last 13-ish miles of Laurel Highlands Ultra. Dean was my pacer for that, but I didn’t communicate with him that I wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone. My pacing until the final stretch was within my comfort zone.
When I let him know that I was interested, we set the date and time. A week before the run, I messaged him about how we were planning on running it. Short and sweet, I asked if the plan was to “run like hell?” The response was, “yes.” Physically and mentally, I was preparing for that for about two weeks. Being okay with doing a full long run at threshold pace.
By “full long run,” I mean not having a warmup and cool down period and having the moderate to hard efforts sandwiched in the middle. All of it was going to be an uncomfortable effort, and then seeing if I could speed up any at the end. It would have been okay to turn up the effort another notch or so with about 25% remaining.
Individually, we each did our own preparation. Honestly, there wasn’t much to prepare for, it felt normal to me, and I’m sure the same for Dean.
Goals for the run
- I wanted to run at a moderately, hard pace that was sustainable for 14-15 miles of a hilly trail.
- Threshold pace.
- Have fun
- Challenge and push myself
- Feel like I was making up for not pushing myself much at the end of Laurel Highlands Ultra, especially since Dean was my pacer there and he’s a fast guy.
- Stay hydrated and fueled
- Not worrying about potentially rolling ankles or tripping and falling because all of those things sometimes happen, I know that I can overcome them. The goal was to not let them bother me and to stick to the plan.
- Let me add that I did slow down at the steep trail drop-offs where the trail was narrow, and even slanted towards the drop-off. I didn’t want to die.
Report
My watch malfunctioned the first .25. It started, but then when I checked it, it was paused. COROS app is showing that it didn’t start recording until .25 (if that’s what it means). Dean was using 2 watches, so we were covered.
My pacing was pretty much in the threshold range. I’m happy with it. I wouldn’t have wanted to go faster due to the heat and the technical ness of the trail.
71-85° F, feel 91. It was hot and humid.
I rolled my bad ankle 3 times and the good one once. Lots of near rolls. So. Many. Rocks. I have that bad ankle because of Laurel Highlands Ultra! Read about that day:
I felt like cussing at the rocks, but decided that it’s better to spin it positively and embrace them. “I love rocks, give me more rocks!” It worked!
Over 4,000 ft elevation gain.
We reached mile 8 in 1 hr 59 mins 14 secs.
Sort of wish that I were faster, but I think that I did fine. I’m not the slowest person Dean has run with.
When there were about three miles left, I began to not feel well due to the heat. I’m used to running in the heat, but I normally don’t put in this high of an effort for this length of time.
My sweat slowed, even though I kept drinking water and electrolytes. I was taking my salt tablets. I was slightly light-headed. Even though I wasn’t feeling well, I wasn’t worried because I knew that we were almost done.
The heat was getting both of us.
Post run and final thoughts
When I received cellphone service, I checked-in with my coach, Kyle Kranz, to tell him how it went. I sent him my stats.
I’m happy with the performance, but of course seeing the average pace being around 15:00/mi bummed me out. I was hoping for 10:00-13:00/mi. This is more typical of my long trail runs, but this section of trail is a little nuts.
Kyle responded, “Dang that sounds tough with the rocks and the weather! I think that was great, all things considered.” I felt better.
I nailed my goals for the day, so I should feel proud.
More information on the FKT
Learn more about the park, route, and other attempts:
https://fastestknowntime.com/route/lhht-gate-eight-gate-pa
Learn more about our run through Dean’s report:
https://fastestknowntime.com/fkt/dean-banko-shannon-mick-lhht-gate-eight-gate-pa-2025-08-17-0
Microburst
Good thing Dean and I were moving well because a microburst through afterwards.
I’ve been caught in storms while out on the trail, but nothing that scary. Sometimes, I think about shelter-like spots on the trail I’m on in case a big storm occurs. Everyone should have a plan.
The LHHT has shelters, but I would take shelter tucked close to a sturdy boulder. Some of them are like caves. They are all sorts of shapes.
Recovery
The quads felt those downhills. The lower leg and ankle muscles felt those rocks.
Thanks
I’m grateful for everyone’s continual support. I’m also grateful for another safe, fun adventure. I always pray for safety during these trips and long runs, God provides.
Follow Dean
Ultrarunner, reach out to me if you would like more information on working together
If you’re interested in creating changes, building healthy habits, managing worries and negative thoughts, or learning more about this topic, reach out to me.
I’d be happy to answer questions and to see how I can support you in your mental ultrarunner goals.
If you’re interested in learning about my coaching, visit Finish Stronger Mindset Coaching.
Running means much more to me than maintaining physical health.
It is a way to work on the things that usually tear me down.
I can rework habits and thoughts in order to make myself mentally stronger.
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