Training Log - Monday, February 15, 2010

The timing could not have been more perfect. I arrived at Richard's house at 5PM in order to go for a 7-8 mile trail run. We both grabbed our headlamps and I tried out a new red safetly light as well, figuring we might need it running to and from the trails. We also had to bundle up, as temps where in the low 20s. We stepped out of the door to start our run at 5:05 PM. At 5:06 PM, snow was coming down at a steady pace. We were in for a night trail run, with mud, ice and snow. The mountain was a winter wonderland. Man, it really was a ton of fun. I am sure it helps when you don't get seriously hurt, even though Rich did turn his ankle pretty badly during the run. But he was able to continue. Rich happens to be a member of the Land Trust Board that owns part of the trails on Monte Sano mountain and he had been tasked with looking for an illegal trail someone had apparently cut between some official trails. This would make the run even more interesting, especially considering that we could barely see the trail in front of our feet. 5 miles into our run, we actually spotted the trail. Mission accomplished. We continued our run without any further major injuries. When we reached the road leading down the mountain, weather conditions had worsened and the roads were iced over already. Thankfully, the sidewalk was still fairly safe to run on. This was a fun trail run with anything you can wish for, snow, ice, mud, and a great view of the city lights. Tomorrow, we have a hill workout near Indian Creek Greenway on the calendar. Because of the icy conditions, we are going to wait until our lunch break to take care of that.