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Hey Joggers of the Forest,

The last weekend of Summer is coming up! It’s a 3-Day and we got a double whammy planned for ya! We’ll be having the regular run on Saturday morning (Cabin John this week) and a bonus trail run/trailhead clean up on Monday morning at Redland. Great way to wrap up the Summer and head into Fall.

Momma Nature once again sees us in her good graces and we will have nice weather this weekend (I must have pissed her off this past week to get those record-breaking temps! So sorry!). On Saturday it will still be humidity but run time temps should be around 70 degrees. Monday is forecast to be scrumptious! Lower temps and humidity!

OK, so, announcements then run details:

– T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

– Labor Day Trail Run and Clean Up at Redland. Hosted by Coach Roberta. Run first, then clean up the woods around the trail head. Gloves, garbage bags and refreshments provided. Good chance to give back to the trails!

Now, for the Saturday details:

Location: Cabin John playground parking lot

Address: 7400 Tuckerman Ln, Bethesda, MD 20817

Date: 31 August 2024

Time: 0730

Course: In a nutshell, run from the parking lot all the way down to MacArthur Blvd., turn around and come back. There’s a lot more to it than that (i.e road crossings, etc.) that we will explain in the pre-run brief. Better pay attention! Check out the caltopo for a good map of the route.

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/6PCV  ; includes extra 3 mile top loop for those wanting to add on.

Distance:  ~14 miles round trip (feel free to do shorter)

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Hey Folks,

It’s going to be a little warmer this evening than last week but Fall is just around the corner. The days are getting shorter, and it will soon be time to dust off our headlamps and begin the annual migration to our Winter quarters at Redland. But I digress, for Pete’s sake, we might hit 100 degrees tomorrow so don’t put your tank tops away just yet. There is sweat to come! So, in the meantime we run!

OK, announcements first, then details:

• Just to let ya’ll know, I’ll be out the next two Tuesdays.  Grandpa duty and  vacay.  I’m sure you folks know which way to go!

• Stay tuned. There might be a trail run and trailhead clean up activity this Monday (Labor Day)!

• T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

Now, for the details:

Location: Lake Needwood (Hiker/Biker Trail parking Lot)

Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Derwood, MD 20855

Date: 27 August 2024

Time: Warm up at 6 p.m. Run starts at 6:15

Course: Clockwise. Across dam and onto Parilla Path. Continue left onto Westside Trail up to Needwood Road and cross lake. At park entrance cross Needwood Road and go out-and-back on Beaver Tale Trail (aka Upper Rock Creek). Re-enter park and duck in to your right on the Mudcat Trail. Take this to Needwood Trail. Go right and back down East side of lake to the parking lot.

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/0NFMC

Distance: 5.75 miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Hey Forest Joggers of MoCo,

We are still in August, but Mother Nature is smiling down upon us for at least one more really, really nice day of running weather. Runtime temps should be around 60 degrees with low humidity. Enjoy it while you can. Summer temps are coming back next week.

So, I’m giving in to pressure here and taking us back to Patuxent River State Park by popular demand. Believe me, it didn’t take much peer pressure to get me to agree to run at this venue. Great trails, plenty of parking, brick-and-mortar bathroom (ok it’s technically a latrine), real friendly rangers and the Sunshine General Store (world famous Cheese Burgers) is right up the road for a post-run nosh and refuel. We’ll have our usual liquids and snacks on the sign-in table. Don’t forget, we happily accept donations!

OK, announcements then details:

• T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

• For all you Stone Mill runners (and everyone else too!), as we have in past years, we will be holding Stone Mill course preview runs each Saturday in October. We’ve divided the course into four sections from start to finish. Each weekend we do a different section. Run all four weekends and your feetsies will have plodded along every inch of the course. Great way to know what you’ll be facing on race day. More details as we get closer to October.

Ok, details for this Saturday:

Location: Patuxent River State Park

Address: 23222 Georgia Ave, Brookeville, MD 20833

Date: 24 August 2024

Time: 0730

Course: Loop is 3.75 miles. Recommend three loops for ~11.25

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/T007L

Pace: Slow, Fast and In-between; all are welcome!

Vibe: Chill

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Cheers,

Muddy Shoes

Forest Joggers!

Hey, howsabout this weather!?! Right!? Make sure you thank Mother Nature! She’s making up for that hot mess she sent us just a few weeks ago. She’s giving us a little taste of Fall. Makes me want to dig into my hall closet and start dusting off my headlamp!

Run time temps today are forecast to be about 70 degrees with low humidity. Can’t beat that! There might even be a left-over small patch of mud here and there for good measure. Hard to think of a reason not to be out jogging in the forest tonight!

OK, announcements first, then details:

· T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

Now, for the details:

Location: Lake Needwood (Hiker/Biker Trail parking Lot)

Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Derwood, MD 20855

Date: 20 August 2024

Time: Warm up at 6 p.m. Run starts at 6:15

Course: Counter-Clockwise. Up east side of lake and over to Blue Jay Loop. Back past archery range and onto Needwood Trail for a short bit until a right on to Mudcat Trail and out to Needwood Road. Go across Lake and then out and back on Troll Trail. Then down West Side Trail, across dam and back to parking lot!  

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/FFJUP

Distance: 6.75 miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Howdy, Forest Joggers!

It’s the second Tuesday of the month! Ya know what that means? Yup, it’s Outta the Way Café night. We’ll head on over after the run for some noshing, sipping and mingling. Always a good time. But…oh, yeah…we have to run first! At least we’ll have a scrumptious evening for it. Especially, given that this is August, and we are in the DMV! Get it while it lasts!

Announcements:

• T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

Ok, details for this evening:

Location: Lake Needwood (Hiker/Biker Trail parking Lot)

Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Derwood, MD 20855

Date: 13 August 2024

Time: Warm up at 6 p.m. Run starts at 6:15

Course: Clockwise. Across dam and onto Parilla Path. Continue left onto Westside Trail up to Needwood Road and cross lake . At park entrance cross Needwood Road and go out-and-back on Beaver Tale Trail (aka Upper Rock Creek). Re-enter park and duck in to your right on the Mudcat Trail. Take this to Needwood Trail. Go right and back down East side of lake to the parking lot.and back to parking lot. Voila!

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/0NFMC

Distance: 5.75 miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Outta the Way Café Address: 17503 Redland Rd, Derwood, MD 20855

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Howdy, Forest Joggers!

August has arrived! We are halfway through Summer! Just think, in a couple of months we’ll be freezing in a dark parking lot, donning headlamps, heading off into the dark woods and wishing we had some of the Summer heat. Yeah, right! I never look forward to DC heat and humidity. But that’s what we got. Just have to make do, stay hydrated, and sweat our asses off. We’re tough. We can take it! I think we’re actually tougher then the Blended group that meets when we are finishing up. We’re just not as good looking 😉! Oh, to be young again!

Announcements:

• T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!
• The Groovin’ Woodstock 7k is this Sunday. Check out the race link here https://mcrrc.org/calendar-event/groovin-woodstock-7k-xc-2024/ . Hope to see U there!

Ok, details for this evening:

Location: Lake Needwood (Hiker/Biker Trail parking Lot)

Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Derwood, MD 20855

Date: 6 August 2024

Time: Warm up at 6 p.m. Run starts at 6:15

Course: Counter-Clockwise. Up East side and out on Blue Jay Loop. Back up on Needwood Trail (by Archery Range) and onto Mudcat out to Needwood Rd. Cross Lake and Out-and-Back on Troll Trail. Then down Westside Trail, across dam and back to parking lot.

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/FFJUP

Distance: 6.75 miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Hey There, Trailies,

So, when are they going to make Trail Running an official Olympic sport? I mean, if Break Dancing or skate boarding can get you a medal, then plowing through streams, mud, rocks, roots and the occasional patch of poison ivy should too! Are ya with me, Forest Joggers? I mean we’ve all splashed through creeks as fast as Katie Ledecky doing the 100 meter back stroke and we’ve all (at least I have) taken some tumbles that make Simone look like an amateur on the floor routine. Granted those tumbles were unintentional, but as equally dramatic from my view. Just need to work on sticking a landing that doesn’t include my face, knees or ribs. I guess we just keep training and maybe someday…

But I digress. It’s almost Saturday and we are ready to hit the trails, gold medal or not!

This week we head on down to Wheaton to hit the trails of the Regional Park and Northwest Branch. Haven’t been here since Winter Trails so we’re overdue. Weather won’t be fun but we’ll have stuff to cool you down afterwards.

So, announcements, then details:

· T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

Ok, details for Saturday:

Location: Lake Wheaton Regional Park

Address: 2000 Shorefield Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20902

Date: 3 August 2024

Time: 0730

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/H70B3

Distance: 11.5 miles

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Hey there Trail Goobers,

We have a nice evening in store weather-wise although there is a chance of a shower (we need the rain!). Temps will be warm but not oppressive. Dodging another heat wave bullet! C’mon out and enjoy! This is the last Tuesday run of July! We made it halfway through Summer. Yee-Haw!

Announcement:

· T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

Ok, details for this evening:

Location: Lake Needwood (Hiker/Biker Trail parking Lot)

Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Derwood, MD 20855

Date: 30 July 2024

Time: Warm up at 6 p.m. Run starts at 6:15

Course: Clockwise. Up and across dam. Sharp left onto Parilla Path then continue up to Needwood Road on Westside Trail. Cross lake on Needwood Road. Cross road onto Upper Rock Creek (aka Beaver Tale Trail) and go out and back to Muncaster Mill Rd. Cross road back into park entrance and in 50 yards take right onto Mudcat Trail (What the hell is a mudcat anyway?). Next take right on Needwood Trail and head .75 miles back to parking lot.

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/0NFMC

Distance: 5.75 miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Hey Mud Chuckers and Forest Joggers,

Ready for some trail therapy?! Should be a good evening for it. Extreme heat and humidity are taking a break although there is a chance of a thunder boomer. We’ll see. Weather peeps around here seem to be guessing half the time anyway. So, we should get the run in. Hope to C U there!

First announcements then run details:

· 7th Annual Muddy Shoes Summer Fatass is coming up on Saturday July 27th. Great run followed by an awesome pot luck post-run mingle. Muddy Shoes provides burgers, dogs and tater tots. Sign up at the 7th Annual Summer Fatass page on FB.

· T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

Ok, details for this evening:

Location: Lake Needwood (Hiker/Biker Trail parking Lot)

Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Derwood, MD 20855

Date: 23 July 2024

Time: Warm up at 6 p.m. Run starts at 6:15

Course: Counter-Clockwise. Up East side and out on Blue Jay Loop. Back up on Needwood Trail (by Archery Range) and onto Mudcat out to Needwood Rd. Cross Lake and Out-and-Back on Troll Trail. Then down Westside Trail, across dam and back to parking lot.

Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/FFJUP

Distance: 6.75 miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)

Pace: Fast, slow and in-between

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Namaste,

Muddy Shoes

Folks,

Needless to say, it’s a tad bit warm out there. Frankly, the conditions are going to be hellacious! We are under an extreme heat warning with feels-like temps that could hit 110. Nothing to mess around with. Given these conditions we will dial it waaaaaay back tonight. No sense messing around with Mother Nature.

So…..pay attention!

• No warm up. I think folks will be warmed up from just getting out of the car. We’ll start at 6:15.
• Course adjustment. We’ll stick to two loops around the lake. One clockwise over dam. One counter-clockwise in reverse. Total 5 miles.
• Walkers just do one lap. 2.5 miles.
• Recommend everyone bring a water bottle orn hydration pack.
• You should be hydrating ALL day. TMI – but your pee should be a light straw color. You’ll need to check that on your own. Muddy Shoes does not provide that service!
• Watermelon and ice water will be provided post-run.

First announcements:

· T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! T-SHIRTS! Get’em while they’re hot! The 10-Year Anniversary shirts are flying off the shelves! Very comfortable uni-sex moisture-wicking shirts that fit true-to-size with a custom design (Thanks to KLD Design https://www.kld-design.com) on the front and one of our Muddy Shoes mantras on the back. What are ya waiting for? These shirts aren’t gonna order themselves!

· 7th Annual Muddy Shoes Summer Fatass is coming up on Saturday July 27th. Great run followed by an awesome pot luck post-run mingle. Muddy Shoes provides burgers, dogs and tater tots. Sign up at the 7th Annual Summer Fatass page on FB.

Ok, details for this evening:

Location: Lake Needwood (Hiker/Biker Trail parking Lot)

Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Derwood, MD 20855

Date: 16 July 2024

Time: NO WARM UP. Run starts at 6:15

Course: See above. One clockwise loop around lake. One counter-clockwise

Distance: 5 miles

Pace: Slow today. We don’t need any heroes.

Vibe: Chill…actually, sweaty. Yup, sweaty.

Hope to C U there cuz THESE TRAILS AIN’T GONNA RUN THEMSELVES!

Cheers,

Muddy Shoes