Spring Forward

Until learning the "Spring forward, Fall back" mnemonic, I would always need to think for a minute, or ten, about which way the clocks go every March and October. "Spring forward, Autumn back" just doesn't work the same...


And of course I just like the analogy of springing forward - into the year, into spring training, into the nice weather, into the racing season!

This post will be a mix of all sorts but before I get started... when googling for an image to go with my very imaginative post title I came across this one - I thought it was so beautiful. I had never heard of the artist, Joe Tatarnic, before but was very drawn to some of his work. Don't you just love how the Internet opens up all sorts of interesting doors.

Work has been a bit hectic of late. If you know who I work for you will know why! Not exactly fun times around the office but no end of work that's for sure. Which is fine with me until the point that it threatens to interfere with my training... I mean, really, that is just so annoying. I had to work the Sunday before last but got done in time to head out to Afton for a loop - it was a beautiful evening and very quiet at that time I don't think I saw another soul along the trail. I ran the 25K loop in about 2:23 which I was happy with - after bombing along the river trail I was practically crawling up the Meatgrinder - I don't recommend that approach for the race! Mind you, it was a snails pace compared to Matt this past Saturday. It's really time he came up with a new set of "Matt" acronyms...

That Sunday run, following a Hyland run on Saturday set me up nicely for last week. Early on, it was looking like we would have to work through the weekend so I was trying to get in the miles where I could. However, my first 2-a-day in a long time was totally unplanned - I'd been working late on Wednesday and was then treated to a very relaxing leg massage (Thanks Nancy!) - driving home around 8:30PM and get a text from Sonya... sure, why not go for 10 around the lakes. I was happy my legs felt great after 12 that morning.

Thursday I made it down to Lebanon Hills for a loop - adding on a bit towards Dodd Rd - the soft trails through the woods were lovely. I had not run here until this winter so this was my first time sans snow - it really is a lovely park and so close to the cities. It was muddy around Jensen Lake but not bad overall. I'll have to check out the hillier trails across the road next time.

Friday morning there was a great turnout for the Hyland loop - I think 14 in total. It was great to catch up with everyone. I was dragging by the end - I should know that I can't keep up with this gang if I've run the evening before. But good training. Tempted to shoot for the early bird loop this week but we'll see how the sleep ratio is by then.

Saturday morning there was a big group at Afton - thanks to Zach for rounding up the troops. There were so many runners out there we got asked if there was an event on. Matt had already headed out on his PR loop. Everyone else took off while Karen and I hung out for Kami - we headed off on a loop, meeting up with Nancy, Tom and Alicia along the way and several others on the back end. Alicia is getting ready to run the Croom Fools 50K in Florida next weekend - looks like a lot of nice singletrack trail through forest. Steve's fudge was yum. Perfect mid-run food. I apologize for the suggestion that you might have been trying to poison me.

Karen and I headed out again for a short loop to end with 22. I'm looking forward to crewing/pacing for Karen at Kettle Moraine 100 in June. And very honored - I knew this lady had some fast road marathons under her belt but wasn't aware that she'd run the Olympic Trials until we got chatting on Saturday. Wow! That is some achievement. And judging by her training so far this season, she will be well ready to tackle the hundred. Afterwards we hung out at the visitor center for a while - nice warm fire and coffee courtesy of Tom & Nancy. And a lovely surprise - Nancy had made this for me in her, ahem, spare time...


Thank You!

Great to catch up with everyone - I was especially excited to chat with Jim about 3 Days of Syllamo. This is a race I would really like to try next year. And hopefully no one goes missing. Kudos to all the runners for giving up Day 3 to search for (and find) the wandering soul.

And then it was off to spend some cash at Twin Cities Running Company. Easy to do when they have a great selection of gear and lots of new trail shoes (yes, I am promoting here)... I wasn't really looking for new shoes but of course I ended up trying on every pair in the store (Thanks Kurt!) and as it turned out the very last pair - Vasque Mindbenders - were a perfect fit and felt very nice on. I figured it would be great to have an alternate to the Montrail Masochists, especially running consecutive days (which I seem to be doing more and more of) - and my bunions are bothering me quite a bit these days so anything that gives them relief is welcome. But at least my feet are in relatively good shape - I have not lost a toenail in over a year. Hopefully they never look like this...


Yeah, that is pretty gross.

Sunday morning I decided on Afton again. There was a group running at Elm Creek but I knew I needed to do hill repeats and sort of wanted to run by myself so I spent a few hours touring the lovely St. Croix bluffs...

I think 22 climbs in total including 8 times up the gravel hill which as anyone who runs at Afton with me knows I absolutely hate! I know, none of them are much compared to what I'll be doing at Miwok but the smaller, shorter repeats worked fine for Hellgate so I'll just have to hope it's enough. I've decided to abandon plans for running a 50 miler in Virginia in two weeks time. I had wanted to do that distance ahead of the 100K (Miwok is May 1) but just don't want to travel as I'll be heading to Ireland a few days later. The good news is they give a refund less $15 up until April 1. Better send that email. There are no local 50M races that weekend (or next weekend) - so it's off to Chippewa I go! I even looked up flights to Austin after seeing that Hells Hills is rated 4/4 by UR mag - and the fact that it would be very cool to see Olga and Tracy who are both running the 50M and Rasmus in the 50K - but really, I don't need that punishment. I am still signed up for a race in Connemara (IRE) Apr 10 which I must defer until next year. Though it's unlikely I'll want to do it then either. 39.3 miles on the road. What was I thinking? I am also going to skip Ron Daws 25K this weekend. It was a fun race last year - I think I ran a PR for the first 10 miles - helped by Pam pacing me! But instead a few of us are thinking of a trip up to the SHT - and Lisa has kindly offered the use of her sauna afterwards :) The only downside is the weather ain't looking so hot for the weekend - typical, mid-week it hits 70 and then cool and rainy for Saturday. Still, I guess it may well be like that at Chippewa and indeed Miwok. So probably another big week and maybe then take it easy next week ahead of Chippewa but I don't know that it will be much of a taper. Nic, you most definitely will be waiting for me at the finish line - but this year you'll probably be cleaned up and on your 3rd beer!

So spring training is rolling along pretty well. Though I almost passed out in hot yoga last night. I guess I pushed it a bit hard in spin class yesterday morning after a big weekend, and did not hydrate enough throughout the day. Easy run this morning which felt ok but not great. I think my body is reacting badly to no sugar - trying hard to avoid the candy jar! I am still working on that post about hot yoga and running - had a great class Saturday evening after the long run in the morning - it felt so good to stretch out and I was pleasantly surprised by how fresh my legs felt Sunday morning. I hadn't started the week with the intention of my highest ever training mileage (92) but I guess that's what happens when you run almost every day and long on the weekend. I just need to not overdo it now and listen to those 'minor' aches and pains. So far, so good though. I honestly think Way Too Cool 50K got rid of a few nagging issues!

Did my first speed work of 2010 this evening. I was just saying at the weekend that it's hard to fit in quality speed work along with high miles so mostly I just throw in a few intervals during longer runs. But I do like the track and want to try to do something fairly specific once a week. Or even once every two weeks. So after the easy run around the lakes this morning I figured I'd give it a shot. I didn't get to a track but hit the Luce Line instead - it's probably a better surface for me anyway and I like having the 0.1M posts along the way. I didn't do anything too mad - ran about 3 miles easy, 4 x 0.5M with 0.5M easy in between, cool down 3 miles. The 1/2 mile bursts were 3:11, 3:10, 3:06 and 3:00. Yeah I was sprinting at the end of the last one. The first one was the hardest and I wanted to immediately cut it to 1/4 mile. I though of Dee's new slogan from our emailing earlier in the day about speed work... JFDI. Indeed! Felt pretty good overall though my right foot keeps going numb when I run fast. I don't think it affects my gait but it's annoying. And on the few miles back to the car it was quite sore. Feels okay again now. Hyland tomorrow evening so that'll be a nice soft surface for the most part.

Sunday afternoon, on the way back from Afton I stopped off at the Human Race 8K in St. Paul - got there just in time to see the winner crossing the finish line. It was very cool to watch those guys coming in around 5:00 pace. Chris Lundstrom finished 5th in 24:47 and Wynn Davis 19th place with 25:57. Saw several others I know from the trails out there also - Kurt & Sonya, Paul and a big contingent on Duluth runners. It was a perfect day for it, cool, sunny, light cross-winds. Great competition between the Run'N'Fun and TCRC teams. Jenna Boren was the first female, taking 48th overall in this very competitive race, in 27:35 (~5:33 pace). What a beautiful stride as she glides towards the finish line...


Several spring cleaning images also came up when googling for the image up top. I guess that means it's time I took the Christmas wreath off the front door, eh? I have a screen door so you don't actually notice it. Really. And the holly from the mantelpiece. Though I do think it looks quite nice against the white painted wood. Really. I did almost get around to cleaning my car this past weekend - or should I say - having my car cleaned, but that didn't quite happen either. Soon.

But I did get around to some emotional spring cleaning. Along the lines of deleting a couple hundred emails that I have been hanging onto for too long now with the sole outcome of making me miserable every time I read through them. Ah, you sometimes have to wallow a little before moving on. It did feel good to hit the "delete all" button. Springing forward and all that...


A few pictures from Afton

The trails were in great condition...


Hardly seems like a hill at all...


But looks can be deceiving...


Happy to be done...


Legs felt good considering the high mileage week - could it be the magic tights? Or the new shoes...


Or just the lovely scenery...


With some strange looking machinery along the way...


Yes, there were many picture breaks during this run...

Perils with Prius? Oh yeah, baby!

This made me laugh out loud driving home this evening. A funny take on the ongoing saga...

Marketplace on NPR

Great run at Hyland after work - the trails are officially open for (running) business! Plenty of icy snow on the ski hills but easy enough to run across the top. Some mud in the usual spots but generally trail is in good shape. Hill repeats tomorrow... got to start sometime.

Right calf is still pretty tight. Big knot right in the middle of it. But overall feeling good after the weekend's action. The weather was something else this week - hopefully this weekend's drop in temperature is just a brief reminder of how far north we live. Back to Spring then please! Know that I have to start some structured training soon - more than just logging miles. Intervals, speedwork, ugh, sounds like hard work...

It's that time of year again...

... when we're all Irish, right?

So maybe you will enjoy the annual St. Patrick's Day greeting from Áras an Uachtaráin.

I found it a little underwhelming myself. Just like Mary then.

I'm too lazy to find any green clip art but I do like Google's efforts again this year.

Way Too Cool 50K

Okay, I’m going to get it out of the way first - this is one very cool race!

Back in December, after getting into the Miwok lottery I thought I’d chance the Way Too Cool lottery also. And as luck would have it I got into that too. My luck promptly ran out upon a Vegas with the girls. I had a week or so to decide if I wanted to go ahead and enter. I figured a March race in sunny California wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

Sunny California was nowhere to be seen when I landed at SFO Friday morning and drove along I-80 past Sacramento and onto Auburn (finish line of WS100). It rained constantly. Getting heavier as the day went on. The forecast continued to promise clear skies and sun for Saturday but I wasn’t convinced. Had I really come all the way here to run in the cold rain? I picked up my race packet at the Auburn Running Company store and then drove the six or so miles out to...



It’s a small, one-stoplight town that makes the most of its name. Cool Beans Coffee Shop, Cool Massage Therapy, Cool Hair Do’s. You get the picture. Still raining, I drove by the race starting area to get my bearings for the morning and then it was time for coffee... and some carbo-loading...



Back to Auburn, checked into the hotel around 6pm and had lots of time to organize my race stuff and chill out before another early night. After getting back from Ireland last Monday, and then a fairly intense massage Wednesday evening, I had woken up Thursday with a sore throat and head cold. I wasn’t sure if it was the long flight or the massage churning up toxins or a mixture of both but I felt like I’d been run over by a train. Zero energy all day. Copious amounts of ginger tea helped my throat but going to bed that night I had the shivers and my body just felt sore all over. Amazing what a good night’s sleep can do - I woke up Friday like a new person. Still had a bit of a sore throat and blocked nose but my energy levels were revived. The race didn’t start until 8AM so I had another good sleep, up around 6AM – slight frost on the car but sure enough it was dry and the sun was beginning to break through the mist. I shouldn’t have doubted the forecast. Unlike back home it has rarely let me down. (The general consensus in Ireland is that Met Eireann should abandon all meteorological systems and just go with "scattered showers with the occasional sunny spell.")

Got parked a little before 7AM. I had eaten some granola and yogurt on the drive out followed by a banana. Got a small coffee in the check-in tent and then sat in the car to keep warm. My stomach was in bits. I couldn’t believe it. I rarely get nervous before races. I think being by myself was the main factor – I’m usually either with friends or know some people at the race and don’t have time to just think. And think and think... I had set a goal of 4:45 for this race when planning my calendar for the year. And hopefully a top-10 finish. Not really based on much. I looked at last years times, the UR rating (2/2), compared it to other races, took into account that it was still very early in the season. Should have taken into account that despite logging more miles than previous years for the winter months, I’ve had little to no hill training...

But too late for that now. I just wanted to get going. I had on shorts, tank with TCRC t-shirt over it (very excited to be representing Twin Cities Running Co. for the first time!), and arm warmers. Wearing my new-ish 2010 Montrail Masochists - love these shoes and they don't seem to have changed much about it but oddly enough I needed a size smaller than last year's version. Was undecided about gloves but standing in line for the porta-potty my fingers were turning white so I pulled on a light pair. It was in the mid-30’s but the sun was already beginning to shine brightly so I guess I should have known it would warm up pretty quickly.



A few minutes before race start everyone was out on the road – over 500 runners – the biggest field by far for any trail race I’ve done. But with the first 2 miles on the road, and then some wide trails before hitting any single track I knew that congestion wouldn’t be a problem. And we were off. My legs felt good to be running but I felt kind of shaky. It was weird. My lips were sort of trembling. I guess it was a mix of nerves and the cool air. But it settled down before long. I don’t think the head cold hurt me at all. My lungs were heaving a little on the early uphills but that was probably just a case of pushing too hard too soon. It was a fun group of runners to be among – lots of chatter on the road section and along the next several miles. Mostly CA runners and a lot of them from the Auburn area. Running alongside a group of guys discussing their planned 80 mile bike ride the next morning was a sign that I had indeed gone out too fast. Lots of triathletes and a few too many GPS fiends. I was wearing a regular watch and really did not need to know that we were running 7:20 pace. Make that 7:30 pace. And now we’ve sped up to 7:15’s. C’mon dudes it's mile 4 of a 31 mile race! Though I suppose it did cause me to fall back a bit which was definitely the right idea.

After a good mix of up and down, very runnable terrain, and a few water crossings (there would be many after Friday’s rain!), I hit AS 1 at mile 7.1 in just under an hour. No refill needed. About 20 minutes later I was regretting this upon remembering the two longest sections of the course were the first and second, with the next AS not until 15.6 miles. And I was getting low on water. And it was getting warm. I had taken a gel (still enjoying the Vanilla PowerBar Gels) just before the start and had about 5 or 6 with me, taking one every 45 minutes or so. And triple-berry nuun tabs in my water. I’d dropped my gloves at the AS. I didn’t really want to dump them - they are old and torn but I was kind of fond of them – but I figured it would be annoying to carry them the whole way.

Note - the links are not indicative of any sponsorship (I wish) - just figured I should give them credit for products I enjoy!

The next section was so pretty – lush green mountains, views over the American River Canyon, with glimpses of the river every now and then. The terrain was very runnable and after a while I fell into a nice pace between two other first-timers. The guy ahead mentioned we were on 4:30 pace. I took this with a grain of salt, it was early and I knew there were some big climbs to come. But at the same time I was running well within myself. We continued along for the next hour, hugging the mountainside as the winding trail took us inwards by several beautiful waterfalls and then back out along narrow ledges high above the canyon. The biggest water crossing so far came just before the second aid station. A bit of careful navigation but getting soaked was a guarantee which wasn’t a bad thing as it refreshed my somewhat tired feet. A mile or so back a girl had passed me and I wondered what place I was in. I felt like maybe top 20 but really had no idea. Then we went by a few supporters who told me I was number 8 female. Nice. 2:14 on the clock. Water refill and a few cups of coke at the AS and off up the hill. Then it was onto some very runnable single track. This was sweet! We had a 6.2 mile loop back to the same AS so I decided to see if I could do it in an hour. I vaguely remembered the steepest climb of the race being somewhere around mile 20 but no need to worry about that just yet. Quick bio-break along here and I was off again. It was beautiful, deep in the woods, smooth, soft surface – you could almost run without worrying about your footing. A little up and down but mostly flat. I knew the final miles would hurt and that I was probably pushing it more than I should right now but it felt good to run fast. I was running alone and loving it. I was thinking about Sea Legs Girl’s plans for a book of favourite running routes. I was thinking how incredible it would be to live somewhere like this, with awesome trails and mountains, and great weather year round. I was thinking how much I love running in Minnesota. Even in the winter. How incredible the people I’ve met there are. How much I enjoy training with my friends. How I’ll probably never really want to live anywhere else. How lucky I am to be able to travel to places like this.

Some steep downhill and then, then it was mile 20. And we were climbing. Oh boy. So much for an hour loop. This was painful. Back at the AS at 3:20. Just under 10 miles to go. 4:45 still a possibility? Just about. For now. A little over 5 miles to the next AS. Back the way we had come for the first few miles. Along the single track with the fantastic views. But this time we were meeting runners every 30 seconds or so. To be fair they were awesome and stepped aside but it did make it a bit hard to let loose. Not that I was feeling much like it after the mega climb. But then a girl went by and I decided to try to keep with her. It was fun! She was flying it. I met her after the race – Rachel Baker from San Francisco. A guy was just behind us and we rolled along like this for the next few miles. We turned off to the left and were on new trail as we hit some climbs. And then it really started to hit me. I just was not trained for these hills. My hips were aching. But still, I pulled back close to Rachel on the flats. I knew I was pushing harder than I would have by myself and was really grateful she had come along. Of course, I also knew there was every possibility I’d be crawling to the finish line. Another killer climb to the Old Goat AS at mile 26.8. 4:09. Quick refill and off again. Some nice downhill and then a mix of up and down. More up than I would have liked. I kept thinking we surely must be due some sustained downhill. But it never came. My hips got tighter and tighter. But my lungs felt good. And the scenery just got better. Wide meadows and stream crossings every hundred yards or so. It was so pretty. The course had been muddy in places but having a new appreciation for mud after Psycho Wyco it never felt slow or unsafe even on the downhills.

I was hoping to make it to the final AS back at Hwy 49 by 4:35 but the minutes ticked by and Rachel and the guy were far ahead out of sight. I was beginning to tire. And then, the glorious sound of diesel engines. Along hard paved road. A trail runner’s heaven - when it signifies less than 2 miles to go! 1.3 miles in fact – that was a nice surprise, my calculations had been closer to 2. I half thought of picking up the gloves – but no stopping now. 4:39. Could I do it in 4:50? 1.3 miles in 11 minutes seemed reasonable. Then I realized we were heading back the way we had come for the first mile or so. Which now meant up, up, up. I wasn’t even doing 11-minute miles! I had lost track of what position I was in as one girl – maybe two? - had flown by on the previous section and then I was passing a girl along here. 4:47 at the 1 mile to go sign which thankfully turned out to be quite the overestimation. Mostly flat along here but muddy, almost lost my shoe, but I was feeling good and pushing for the finish. Up a hill and turned off the trail we’d come out on to short cut back to the start/finish area... great support out along the trail here. It was so nice to see that finish line!

4:50:51, 9th F, 60th overall. I was really happy in the end. A bit slower than I’d hoped but when I saw that Darcy Africa had run 4:37 I immediately felt better :) Joelle Vaught was the winner in 4:13. A different league altogether. Caitlin Smith, last year’s winner and CR holder with 4:12 wasn’t running, nor was Devon Crosby-Helms and a few other top women.

Happy to be done... (note the lack of blood)



Crossing the finish line the announcer called out my name and upon hearing Minnesota I had a few people ask if I’d come all the way out here for the race – no big deal to me but upon seeing the results I think there were probably only a handful of runners from outside CA and the supporting states.

Some mud to clean off...



But first things first - the famous frog cupcake!



After cleaning up and hanging about in the lovely sunshine for an hour...





... I headed back towards San Francisco to meet up with friends, stopping at the Hwy 49 AS to pick up those ragged gloves. They’ll live to see another day!

I’d highly recommend this event for any mid-westerners looking for a spring race. Superbly well organized, great support along the course, even on the remotest trails, and overall a very friendly, welcoming atmosphere. The volunteers and staff were extremely helpful and I suppose the sunshine throughout the day helped too! And it’s a bit of a who’s who of ultra running with many top names toeing the line every year. It was a great experience but certainly a good reminder of the work I have to do before Miwok in a mere 7 weeks. That will come way too fast. I usually run my best races mid-summer to mid-fall so I know that to be ready earlier I simply have to train now the way I normaly would in May/June. And that means more than just logging miles. Hill repeats, speed work, intervals. The stuff that hurts. To quote Joe Z (as I did a few times along the trail yesterday) - "There are no secrets. You get out what you put in."

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A huge congrats to Kami, also representing TCRC this weekend at Land Between the Lakes 50M in Kentucky, taking 2nd place in 8:30! And to the other locals who ran that race and those who travelled further south for the 3 Days of Syllamo. Looking forward to hearing everyone's stories.

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A few more photos I took along the drive back to Auburn...

Running the Globe

Slight exaggeration with the heading but I'm writing this on a flight to San Fransico (Yay for in-flight Wi-Fi!) ahead of tomorrow's race - Way Too Cool 50K - and just a week ago I was discovering old and new trails back in Ireland.

I was in Galway for work and got to spend a day in Sligo (home) and another in Westport - one of the prettiest towns in Ireland. Of course, with the lovely weather we had for the week, every part of the country looked great. It is probably the same everywhere but I always think Ireland in particular is a completely different country in the sunshine vs the rain. As are the people. The 'friendly nation' reputation was definitely developed during a period of nice warm sunny weather!

Carrowkeel

After the few days in Galway I was up at my Mum's house last Friday and was hoping to get in a 2hr run. When I first starting running I would almost always hop in the car and drive to a local park where I'd run some loops/out-and-backs to get in my long runs. The narrow roads close to home are just too dangerous as no one ever expects to see walkers/runners/bikers on them. But for whatever reason last week I got to thinking that if I ran right from my house along a few very quiet roads, some no longer used by cars, I could make my way over to Carrowkeel, a Megalithic burial ground that as kids we used to visit often. There are fabulous views over Lough Arrow and about 14 cairns in total - a few of them you can get into by crouching through the narrow entrance. AND these stone cairns are older than the Pyramids! It's probably 2 miles from home as the crow flies but to get there by car it's about 4 or 5. But who needs roads? There are old tracks that these days are just used by cattle and/or tractors. How did I never think of running over here before? I have been running trails for long enough now!

So off I went, over-dressed so I had to stash my jacket along the way, which meant I had to carry my iPhone in my hand so it got nicely scratched as I crossed gates and fences - but I wanted to take photos...

Getting there - my destination is the left high spot in the distance - but no, I didn't have to cross this field to get there!

The right way...



YAY!



For cars maybe...



Gravel roads...



Some grassy trail...



And of course, some boggy trail...



Overlooking Lough Arrow...



The view west over towards Keash Hill - my house is about half way there - mmm, Keash Hill might be the next adventure...



Tough life for a tree in the West of Ireland...



The self-potrait...



I had to take a picture of this bend. Probably 20 years ago, when this road was still drivable by car (or at least that's what my mother thought), we were heading down here after a trip to the Cairns - likely 10 of us crammed in the car - and taking it a bit wide we ended up slightly over the edge on the left. Quite an adventure - I remember my friend who was with us had the smart idea to get a rope from the boot and secure the car to the tree while we manouvered the car back on the road...



It's probably been 10 years since I was inside one of these - decided against it today - wouldn't be a good place to get a bad leg cramp!



More cairns - to be rediscovered another day...



Smart sheep in these parts...



The Joker's House - I have no idea who once lived here but as kids we used to be too scared to get close to this house - it's surrounded by trees so I had to make a quick detour to finally see it!



The highlight of any trail run in Ireland... sorry Lisa, I have no idea what breed but they didn't look like they'd be much good for knitting wool :)



More sheeps...



There is also a donkey sanctury nearby which I should visit sometime...



Heading home, just a few more gates and grassy trails (and minor floods!) to navigate...



The Bangor Trail

Next morning I headed over to Newport to meet up with my friend Dee and explore a fairly remote trail in Co. Mayo. There was a limited amount of info on the web about The Bangor Trail but I got in touch with a guy who has hilked it many times and he said it was runnable with hardly any fences to cross. If we had more time, and less events that we were both meant to be tapering for, we might have tried to run the whole thing - about 26 miles point-to-point - but as it was we had limited time (and energy). So we decided on an out and back. It was tough going - some very runnable sections on rocky terrain but a lot of BOG! I was up to my knees more than once! Still, it was beautiful, the scenery, the peace and quiet, not to mention the unusually nice March weather. A fun day out. We turned around after 5 miles in about an hour and ten minutes. A few picture breaks along the way...

Starting out...



Of course we had some woolly friends for company...



Lots of fantastic views...



Including a snow-capped Nephin Beg - it is so weird to see snow-capped anything in Ireland!



Me - trying out new North Face pack - love it, fitted well, I have found the Nathan pack slips off my shoulders too easily even with the straps adjusted...



Dee - who will soon be over in MN for a few months with work - very cool!



Enjoying a natural ice bath at the finish...



Next stop, California! Looking forward to running in shorts and t-shirt tomorrow... not as ready as I could be and feeling a bit run down from all the travel but it should be a nice run all the same. I was a bit worried when I first looked at the elevation profile earlier this week but then compared it to Terrapin Mountain that I ran last March in Virgina - the climbs are about half as high as that one! Phew... I have a goal of 4:45 based on nothing other than it's rated (by UltraRunning) as 2/2 vs Chippewa 3/3 and given it's a little earlier in the season I figure I should be able to do something close to last April (4:41) on a slightly easier course. We shall see...