A Taste of Runs to Come

It was a great day at Bradbury.  Oh, the weather was still on the damp and dreary side, but the TMs were back on home turf!  It was Ian, Danielle, Jim, Tom and me running Mindy's loop while Linda and Bethany took on the mountain side. 

I led the group for most of the run.  Though I had posted that I'd be running a very relaxed pace for about ten miles, I did push a little harder.  I always feel the need to if I'm the slowest in the group.  I know nobody's expecting me to, but... It's good for me.  I enjoyed being with the group for a change.  Even though I've loved my solo miles at Bradbury, I really love it when I get to have the company of such...Trail Monsters! 

The trail was muddy again from our stretch of rainy weather, but it was mostly the snowmobile trail with deep mud:

long stretch of mud

Jim took a nasty fall close to the end of the run.  Kind of funny, but I think it's the third fall at that same spot in three runs, first Mindy, then me, then Jim.  His was the nastiest, but then he's got the most behind him when he falls.  When I realized he wasn't REALLY hurt, I snapped some pictures.  None came out clear : (

Right after that, the single track we were on pops out onto the snowmobile trail again.  Jim and Tom took a shorter route back, while Ian, Danielle, and I continued on the Mindy Loop coming back on Knight's Woods.  Back in the parking lot, we checked on Jim, said by to Tom, then continued our run on the mountain side to get the rest of our miles.  We rain up the Terrace to the summit and then down the South Ridge:

Danielle and Ian bopping right up the Terrace (I used the excuse of the picture to breathe!)

Back at the parking lot, I was happy enough with the 9.6 miles that the Garmin read, especially since Bethany and Linda were back at the car, too.  Ian, though he talked a lot about bailing and joining us for yummy sandwiches at E & L's, kept going on his quest for a big mileage week.  I think he ended up with more than I ran any week in training for my 50!  Jim had hung around the park since Ryan and Sam showed up.

Lots of cuteness

 

  The group then hit Edna and Lucy's for more chatter, entertainment by sweet Sam, and yummy food.

One way to keep Jim quiet!