OK, so I ran my first trail race EVER this past Saturday. 10 miles, 1 loop, 5000' elevation change average. Can we say, OUCH!!!? How about "HOLY CRAP!!!!? I don't really think anyone could have prepared me for this race. It was brutal. The uphills were practically straight up and the dowhills weren't much better. Thankfully most of the uphills were still relatively frozen however, the downhills were ALL mud. It was a mud run. My legs are scratched because I ran parallel to the trail (in some areas) in the trees and brush. I WAS NOT going to be covered in mud or go slip sliding away. I saw far too many people fall. Mind you, it's not just mud they are falling into. Its rocks, tree roots, horse pucky and wildlife excretes. Wildlife I didn't see, but with 300ish runners I'm sure they all scattered to the far ends of the woods. I twisted my right ankle 5 times over the 10 miles and it still hurts today. I didn't finish in the time I wanted to, but I finished and I'll be that much more prepared for my trail marathon in April.
Here are a few photos from the race.....
These are a few of the MANY hills. Yes, you had to hurdle the downed trees.
This gives you an idea of how muddy it was. If you click on the picture of the runner you may be able to see more detail. He's covered in mud. He must have slid down a hill face first. His backside looked the same.
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