.__________________________________Running LoCo in MoCo since 2014_________________________
We have a couple of different places where you can learn about our weekly runs as well as discuss all things trail (in both cases you’ll need to request to join) —
Groups.io – https://mymuddyshoes.groups.io/g/main
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/muddyshoes
Sign up and come out for a trail run!!
Hey Trail Pals,
One thing that separates a good trail runner from a great trail runner is the ability to adapt to change, pivot on a dime, duck and weave, etcetera etcetera. So, having said that, lets see who is good and who is great.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, this Saturday’s run will be starting at Log House Road and hitting the Greenway going South. This will be instead of running at Sugarloaf. Maybe we’ll get up there another time!
We’ve been to Log House Road before and it is an awesome run as many of you know. We’ll head South to Watkins Mill Road and back for a total of 14-ish miles. A shorter option would be to turn around at the Brink Road crossing which would give you about 10.5 miles.
Your coaches will be the illustrious Mike-and Mike trail running comedy duo. Refer all complaints to them (wink!)
OK, so , before we share the run details – just a reminder to put the 5th Annual Muddy Shoes Summer Fat Ass on your calendar for Saturday July 16th at 0830 in Seneca Creek State Park. An awesomely fun event with a great Pot Luck Party afterwards. Keep an eye out for announcements on that or check out the event page on FB https://www.facebook.com/events/518978566603716/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22your_upcoming_events_unit%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
OK, now for the details:
Location: Log House Rd. Trail Head
Address: 23521-23599 Log House Rd. Gaithersburg, MD 20882
Coords: [39.243936, -77.207249]
Time: 0730
Date: Saturday 2 July
Course: Greenway South to Watkins Mill Road out and back
Mileage: Around 14. Can add on either south or north for more mileage.
Donations: Always accepted and appreciated.
Okie-dokie, that’s about it.
C’mon out cuz these trails ain’t gonna run themselves!
Cheers,
Coach Phil
Hey Trail Goobers,
Well, it’s looking like a clock-wise kinda day. The weather is going to be scrumptious (you’re welcome!) and the trails will be open! There’s not much more to say except why wouldn’t you c’mon out and slap your feet on some dirt with us? There. Is. No. Reason! Soooo, we’ll see you at the Needwood Trail head this evening (details below).
Ya know, these trails ain’t gonna run themselves!
Details:
Location: Lake Needwood
Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle (parking lot by the Hiker-Biker Trail head)
Coords: 39.114925, -77.127917
Date: 28 June 2022
Time: Warm Up Mile 6 p.m. Main run 6:15
Course: Clockwise; Cross the Dam, hit Parilla Path crossover lake on Needwood Rd. then out-n-back on Beaver Tale Trail and back down other side of lake to parking lot with hill repeats on Potty Hill.
Distance: 5.5-6-ish miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)
Pace: Slow, Fast and In-between; all are welcome!
Vibe: Chill
C U there!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes
Yes, of course we have a run scheduled for this Saturday (!) – we are doing a 16-mile out-n-back on the Muddy Branch Trail starting at Blockhouse Point State Park. There’s a smallish parking area on River Road and we’ll meet here. There are some great (albeit short) trails in the park and for those who want to experience a great view of the Potomac River, we’ll start out with a quick loop in the park. It’s about 2 miles and then we cross over River Road to hop on the Muddy Branch Trail. From here it’s an out-n-back (7 miles out and turn around). If you are not familiar with Muddy Branch there are a few tricky road crossings. The first will come at Esworthy Road where you’ll turn right and run down the road around 300 yards. Turn left on Glen Road where you pick up the trail again. The next is at Query Mill Road. Turn left here and run down the road until you pick up the trail again on your left. Water will be at the next road crossing at Turkey Foot Road.
If I’ve done my math right (let’s see… 2 miles in Blockhouse Point plus 7 miles on Muddy Branch… ) your Garmin should say 9 miles when you turn around to come back. Check my math of course!
It’s an awesome trail and yes, I do say that about ALL the trails! So come out and run! As Phil says, these trails ain’t goin’ to run themselves!
Audrey
Hey Trail Dogs,
One thing I like about trail running is it makes you hungry. I mean, REALLY hungry. After hitting the trails I love having a great excuse to shove carbs down the ole pie hole. Yup, burgers, pierogies, wings, steak’n’cheese samiches, etc. all guilt-free (…or at least semi-guilt free!) Luckily, we have a great place to re-load carbs after our run, The Outta the Way Café is just up the road and we’ll be headed there post-run for Nom-Noms. Yesssss!
Oh BTW, we are running first (almost forgot to mention that!)
OK, details:
Location: Lake Needwood
Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle (parking lot by the Hiker-Biker Trail head)
Coords: 39.114925, -77.127917
Date: 21 June 2022
Time: Warm Up Mile 6 p.m. Main run 6:15
Course: Counter-Clockwise; Up East side of lake to Blue Jay Loop, crossover lake on Needwood Rd. then out-n-back on Troll Trail and back down West side of lake, hill repeats on Adie’s Hill and then back to parking lot.
Distance: 6-6.5-ish miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)
Pace: Slow, Fast and In-between; all are welcome!
Vibe: Chill
Outta The Way Cafe Address: 17503 Redland Rd, Derwood, MD 20855
Hope to C U there cuz these trails ain’t gonna run themselves!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes
OK Trail Dogs,
I’m not bragging here but I do seem to have an ‘in’ with Mother Nature. While we are sweating through this week with the usual DMV heat and humidity my request for runnable weather for the weekend apparently has been heard by the Big Weather Momma herself. We are looking at a runtime temp of 64 with a nice breeze with it. Scrumptious! You’re welcome!
And so, for the Muddy Shoes Summer Trail Series – Run #12, we are heading a little ways up-county to hit the Hard Rock Trail at Black Hill Regional Park. This is a nice 5-mile-ish lollipop loop course with some roots and rocks to keep you on your toes and, hopefully not on your face, some nice rolling hills but nothing too severe! This week we are bumping the mileage up to 15 (three loops) but folks can do more (awesome!) if they want to or less (don’t worry, we don’t judge folks…at least not until they are out of ear shot, HA!).
As usual Muddy Shoes will supply cold things and salty things in the parking lot for your consumption and re-hydration post-run pleasure. Cool!
Announcement: Don’t forget the 5th Annual Muddy Shoes Summer Fat Ass is coming up on Saturday July 16th. Mark your calendars and keep an eye out for a pot-luck sign up sheet! https://www.facebook.com/events/518978566603716/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22your_upcoming_events_unit%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
OK, details for Saturday:
Location: Black Hill Regional Park
Address: 14300 Black Hills Rd, Boyds, MD 20841
Coords: 39.2010, -77.2944
Date: Saturday 18 June 2022
Time: 0730
Course: Hard Rock Loop
Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/467A
Mileage: 15 (3 Loops)
Weather: Sweeeeet!
Vibe: Yes, we have a vibe. It is chill.
Alright, ya know what I always say “Let’s go! These trails ain’t gonna run themselves!”
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes
Hey there, Trail Dogs (and Cats),
Time for Tuesday Trails with Muddy Shoes at Lake Needwood! After the storms move through this morning it should make for clear (but humid) sailing. The precip should give us enough mud to get our feet messy but it won’t be a quagmire. Besides ‘mud’ is ‘fun’ spelled backwards!…oh, wait…check that! Mud is ‘dum’ spelled backwards…anyway, I digress! Slap on those trail shoes and get yer butts out there to enjoy the trails of Lake Needwood! Hope to C U there cuz these trails ain’t gonna run themselves!
OK, details:
Location: Lake Needwood
Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle (parking lot by the Hiker-Biker Trail head)
Coords: 39.114925, -77.127917
Date: 14 June 2022
Time: Warm Up Mile 6 p.m. Main run 6:15
Course: Clockwise; Cross the Dam, hit Parilla Path crossover lake on Needwood Rd. then out-n-back on Beaver Tale Trail and back down other side of lake to parking lot with hill repeats on Potty Hill.
Distance: 5.5-6-ish miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)
Pace: Slow, Fast and In-between; all are welcome!
Vibe: Chill
C U there!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes
Howdy, Howdy, Trail Mutts,
Can ya believe it?! Here we are at week 10 of the Muddy Shoes Summer Trail Series. Just six more runs to go before the 5th Annual Muddy Shoes Summer Fat Ass Run. Time flies when you’re having fun!
This week for Run #10 we travel to SoMoCo (Southern Montgomery County) to take on the Northwest Branch and Wheaton Regional Park trails. Weather is going to be ideal, temps in the low 60s at the start with low humidity. Mother Nature is being good to us so take advantage of it…and don’t do anything to piss her off! Karma from Mother Nature can be a bitch.
So, this course is kind of a loop and out’n’back at the same time. We cut through Wheaton Regional Park and head down to the turnaround point at Colesville Rd. At this point either come back the way you came or cross to the other side of the dam and come back on the Rachel Carson Trail. Six of one, half dozen of the other. The Rachel Carson side is, shall we say, a little more rustic, and wild but the trail is gorgeous. You pick.
As usual we’ll have liquids and snacks back at the lot.
Just a reminder to sign up for the Summer Fat Ass!
OK, details:
Location: Wheaton Regional Park (near the merry-go-round and miniature train)
Address: 2000 Shorefield Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20902
Coords: 39.052142, -77.043750
Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/FT0H
Date: Saturday 04 June 2022
Time: 0730
Distance: Around 11-12
Vibe: Relaxed
Pets: Sure, just no Wombats.
OK, wrap yer head around it and we’ll see ya Saturday!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes
Hey Trail Dogs,
Time for some heat training. Good day to start building up your tolerance to Summer temps. Ya know, learn how to sweat. As if you didn’t know that already. You should be hydrating all day. Rermember, the more you hydrate, the more you have to pee. The more you have to pee, the better the excuse to excuse yourself from a boring meeting or awkward hallway conversations with your co-workers. It’s a fool-proof excuse. “Yeah, I’d like to go over my status, Boss, but I gotta pee! Bye-ya!” Works every time. I did it for years!
Truly, though, heat is nothing to mess with. Don’t push. There’s nothing wrong with going a little slower.
OK, details:
Location: Lake Needwood
Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle (parking lot by the Hiker-Biker Trail head)
Coords: 39.114925, -77.127917
Date: 31 May 2022
Time: Warm Up Mile 6 p.m. Main run 6:15
Course: Clockwise; Cross the Dam, hit Parilla Path crossover lake on Needwood Rd. then out-n-back on Beaver Tale Trail and back down other side of lake to parking lot with hill repeats on Potty Hill.
Distance: 5.5-6-ish miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)
Pace: Slow, Fast and In-between; all are welcome!
Vibe: Chill
C U there!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes
Muddy Shoes Summer Trail Series – Run #9
Meadowside-Kengla-Lake Frank
Hey Trail Goobers,
Are you ready to hit some muddy MoCo single-track? We have a sweeeeet run planned on Saturday that will take you on some trails that we haven’t hit since way back in early March. We’ll be meeting at the Meadowside Nature Center and doing two out-n-backs…one out to Bowie Mill Rd on the Muncaster, Kengla and North Branch Trail and then one out to Avery Road Lake Frank parking lot. The distances will be 9 miles RT for the first leg and 2.5ish for the second leg. For those wishing to add some miles, there are plenty of trails you can pick up from our starting point.
Full disclosure – there is a creek crossing on the Kengla Trail and you will get your feetsies wet if we get any substantial rain on Friday but that shouldn’t be an issue for true bad-ass trailies, right? If you survived the hotness of last weekend you will have a much easier time of it as the temps will be much improved.
As usual we will have some liquids and snackeroonies back at the lot.Still accepting donations of your hard-earned cash to keep Muddy Shoes going. Oh, and don’t forget to take pictures at the Race-Car-in-the Woods! Still don’t know how it got there but it must’ve been one hella party!
OK, so, here are the details:
Where: Meadowside Nature Center
Address: 5100 Meadowside Ln, Rockville, MD 20855 (Go all the way to the back parking lot)
Coords: 39.113694, -77.106480
Time: 0730 Saturday 28 May 2022
Course: First Out-n-Back to Bowie Mill Road (9.5) then Out-n-back to Lake Frank
Distance: Full distance ~11.5-ish but easy to go shorter or longer
Vibe: Will be provided. Upbeat and enjoyable with a hint of mellow
OK, Folks, these trails aren’t gonna run themselves!!!
C U There!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes
Happy Tuesday, Mud Chuckers,
Last Tuesday I professed that ‘folks should enjoy the temps because hot Tuesdays are going to be par for the course from here on in’. OK, so, I was wrong. We got another cool one for all you cool trailies to enjoy. Might even be a little muddy from the recent rain. Either way, no sweat buckets needed for this evening as we hit the trails of Needwood.
Without further blah, blah, here are the details:
Location: Lake Needwood
Address: 15700 Needwood Lake Circle (parking lot by the Hiker-Biker Trail head)
Coords: 39.114925, -77.127917
Date: 24 May 2022
Time: Warm Up Mile 6 p.m. Main run 6:15
Course: Counter-Clockwise; Up the East side to Blue Jay Loop, Wild Cat Trail across the Lake and then out-n-back on Troll Trail, come down West side of lake, Hill repeats on Adie’s Hill (if you are so inclined!) then back to parking lot.
Distance: 6-6.5-ish miles with warm-up (feel free to do shorter or longer)
Pace: Slow, Fast and In-between; all are welcome!
Vibe: Chill
C U there!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes