It was just what the doctor ordered. We launched our houseboat earlier in the week so we’re now set up at the lake to spend most of our weekends down there when I’m not working. This is a long weekend and I hoped to make the most of it, after a very busy week last week with lots of on-call and many nights spent at the clinic when I should have been in bed. I was tired and my tummy hasn’t been feeling great due to too little sleep and not enough food but I decided to head out and run the light blue loop of the 50k trails which is about 7k. I ran it once last year with my trail running partner and her family but would be doing it solo today.
It was a cool afternoon with a strong breeze but the sun was trying to shine. I walked from the equestrian campground to the start of the trail head, inhaling so much dust due to many people driving by on the road. I started nice and slow but remembered that this was a long uphill again. I ran what I could but ended up hiking quite a bit today, stopping to take lots of pictures and enjoy the scenery. The ground was so dry that a lot of the descents were tricky given I wanted to slip down the fine dust. I used my poles a lot more on this run given it was quite a technical loop and found they were great while going down the steeper hills, using them as a brake and another point of contact so I always had 2-3 points of contact with the ground at all times. There were many times without cell coverage due to the isolation of the trail and I didn’t want to risk slipping and getting hurt so I kept my downhills very, very slow and cautious.
I heard many birds today, saw many butterflies and even squealed a little when I was trying to traverse a marshy area and saw a tiny little snake slither away. I stopped and checked many times for ticks but it was another successful tick-free run. I’m not sure if it is the new insecticide I’m using with icaridin instead of Deet or if it is just because I am overly cautious/ paranoid so try to avoid brushing up against the grass whenever possible. I heard a rustle in some bushes as I was going by an area with dense trees and had stopped to see what was making the sound given we have deer and moose in these hills but was unable to see anything in the thick brush. Before I knew it I was behind the Horseshoe and had my final ascent followed by a ridge run (it was so windy up on the ridge I had to hang onto my hat!) and a final descent before running through the meadow and back to my vehicle. Another 6.4k in the legs and a strong reminder that I have a lot of work to do this summer if I want to be able to run more of the trails instead of hiking.
I’ve got a lovely chicken in the BBQ while I sit on the front deck of my boat sipping a well deserved beverage. Tomorrow will be more R’nR followed by another shorter trail run on Monday. I think I even have hubby convinced to join me on that one if I promise to keep it short🤞
Friday Trail Run 
Trail Running Shoes
Just another muddy trail run…❤️🏃♀️
