Month: November 2017

Hey Trailies,

Ah, yes! Its feast week! Feast on turkey! Feast on mashed potatoes! Feast on Corn Bread Oyster Stuffing! Feast on Pies! Feast, Feast, Feast…On and on and on…. Well, I think to avoid the guilt of participating in all that epicurean decadence we need to hit some single-track (yes, in the dark) to compensate for our calorie glut one last time. Then you can belly up to the Thanksgiving table with a calorie-free conscience…. But, as tradition would have it, its always appropriate to go around the room and have everyone say what they are thankful for…at least in a trail running sense. I mean, of course I’m thankful for my family, friends, pets, good fortune, health, my condo on the French Riviera (Kidding!), etc. but if I narrow it down to just what I am thankful for regarding my trail running it is a slightly different list. Such as Oh, Trail Gods, I am forever thankful for: Anti-chafe cream, aid station volunteers, MoCo single track, Muddy Shoes and its members, Mike Edward’s beer collection, Stella’s Bakery (courtesy of Adie), my Petzl headlamp, my Inov-8 Trail Talon 270s, mud, dirt, rocks, roots…the list could go on forever…I’m just generally thankful.

Turkey , mashed potatoes, stuffing, pie(s), biscuits, gravy…should I keep going?…sweet potatoes, wine (gotta have da vino), whipped cream, sauce, green beans, rutabagas (ya’ll tried rutabagas?), calories, calories, calories… phew. I’m stuffed! Just reading that list can give you a fat ass…or is it Phat ass. Either way, those Under Armor running shorts are not gettin’ any looser this week. Might as well face the …facts, the rolls are comin’. I’m not talkin’ about those hot, fresh baked rolls fresh out of the oven that we peel open , slide a slab of butter on and shove down our pie holes. I’m talkin’ about the rolls you start developing around your midriff…I think the call it ‘muffin top’. anyway, what we all need ahead of this caloric tsunami headed our way is a pre-holiday calorie burn. So that’s what we’re gonna do on Saturday.

Yes, indeed, some will be running tonight and some will be hobbling. Its all good, and for the hobblers, quite necessary. With most folks getting their Fall races done and in the rear-view mirror its time to maybe kick back, run and for the Stone Millers, recover. BTW, congrats to all who participated in Stone Mill this past weekend. Whether you completed it or attempted it but were not able to finish you are ALL bad-ass ju…st for stepping to the Start line and trying. I know we had some first timers too. Looks like they did well in spite of their doubts. Its all physical until it became mental, right?

So, I’m happy. Ya wanna know why? Well, I’m gonna tell ya anyway. I just looked at the forecast and it will most likely be precipitating this evening. Well, I sure do hope so! I mean, I’m not a duck, nor do I play one on T.V. but I DO love running in the rain. There is something very Zen about it. Maybe its a cleansing of my trail runner soul. Or perhaps the ethereal gentleness of the soft rain on fallen leaves….ohmmm…mmm! HECK NO! Its really cuz I love splashin’ in the mud and getting soaking wet like a ten year old kid! I mean, my Mom used to yell at me if I did sh#t like that. Now I can do it and its called ‘training’. An old trail runner I know once said ‘If it ain’t raining, it ain’t training’. Wise words. One of my mantras that I came up with when I began coaching , and many of you have heard me mumble this before, goes like this ‘The More Crap You Run Through, The Less Crap Affects You’. When you run in adverse conditions it minimizes the impact it will have on you next time you experience it. In other words, adversity toughens you up. Adversity makes you stronger. Nothing Zen about it. Pretty straight forward. Soooooo, I’ll expect the tough ones to be out there tonight. And guess what? Its Outta-the-Way-Tuesday. They have beer!!!! We won’t be going too long tonight as most are tapering for Stone Mill but we will still need to re-hydrate and re-charge at Outta-the-Way.

Holy Toledo! The 3rd Annual Muddy Shoes Phantastic Phall Phat Ass Haph Marathon & 10K is this SUNDAY! The day is finally upon us! The waiting and anticipation is almost over!

Wanted to remind everyone that Saturday night while you are sleeping the clocks turn back one hour. Yes, we get an extra hour sleep. No excuses to be tired at the start.

If you haven’t signed up please do so at this link so we can get a head count. There is also a Phood sign up for the post-run pot luck. Scrool to the bottom once you are there.