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| trying to keep my footing on the icy trail |
This is the race put on by my trail running friends Paul and Keith. Their main objective is just to get everyone together for a run in the dog days of winter. Everyone brings snacks to share. I really look forward to this event because winter trail running can be a lot of fun if the conditions are not to bad. I chose the four hour event this year. The objective is to see how many 2.5 mile trail loops you can do in the time period you opt for. Last year I was able to complete seven loops in four hours for a total of 17.5 miles. I was going to try my best this year to do eight loops. The winter weather leading up to the run this year had been relatively mild. We did not have much snow at all. Then we had a moderate snow storm a few days before the run and then some freezing rain on the night before. Conditions were definitely not favorable and it was going to be scary just driving to there due to slippery roads. I decided to take it slow and leave myself a lot of time. I am glad I went because a lot of people showed up.
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| Snow was melting in a few areas |
Walking across the parking lot of the trail head I was borderline ice skating and wondered if the trails would be slippery. As the run got underway I discovered the conditions were not as bad as I thought. It was really wet though and my feet got soaked on the first lap. Kind of makes for a miserable day when the temps are in the 30s and you have wet feet but it's also part of the fun! I kept a fairly consistent pace on each lap. I was starting to slow down toward the end. I completed my seventh lap and to my surprise I still had a little time left. Keith and Paul have stated that if you start a lap before the time is up then it counts. I initially said that I was done with the race and was going to call it a day but then I quickly changed my mind and decided I would regret it if I didn't get back out there and set my Resolution Run PR! There were not many people left when I finished my eighth loop. I stood around and talked to my friends for awhile and then I got in the car and blasted some heat on my cold wet feet. This race is so much fun and I can't wait until next year!
