Author: Phil Epstein

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Tuesday Night Trail Running 101 – Redland M.S.

 

Well Trailies,

Its getting pretty dark out there early, isn’t it? We actually lose 21 minutes of daylight per week this time of year. So, if you are doing any ultras this Fall most likely you will be starting and, for many of us, finishing in the dark. Take my advice, running trails at night with proper illumination is safe…very safe…except for the clowns lurking in the bushes…but as far as falling goes I see fewer falls on the night trail runs than I do on day light runs. Why, you ask? Simple A) You naturally go a tad bit slower and B) there are no visual distractions. Just your cone of light hitting the ground. Now, while night trail running is safe it is a different experience that needs a little getting used to. I highly recommend folks come out and try it especially if you will be running in the dark during race season. You never know, you might get hooked!

Here are the dark details for tonight:

Address: Redland Middle School, 6505 Muncaster Mill Road, Derwood, MD 20855 (Park around back to the right side of school)
Coordinates: 39.140327, -77.131554
Time: 6:30 (6:15 warm up)
Course: Redland Trail (upper and lower) clock wise (upper trail first)

***Announcements***

– Mark your calendars so you don’t accidentally commit to running a road race. Sunday 5 November – The 32d Annual Muddy Shoes Phantastic Phall Phat Ass Haph Marathon and 10k. We’ll will be running from Needwood to Ag Farm and back. Great Trails, Great Phood and Great Phun. Don’t miss it. It is a non-official taper run for those doing Stone Mill the following week. This is our signature event. Donations will be accepted as well as a dish to munch on.

– We host the Stone Mill Course Preview Training Runs every Saturday in October. You don’t have to be running Stone Mill to come out and join us. Courses are all out-n-backs so you do more or less miles. All are welcome. Donation – $5 Run #3 is this Saturday. Details posted on Friday

– We still have Muddy Shoes Buffs ($10) and Car Magnets ($1 cheap) for sale. Don’t be caught without one!

– Our website is now up and running (no pun intended…well, actually my puns are all intentional). Check out the link:

https://mymuddyshoes.org

– Registration for the MCRRC Winter Trails Program is OPEN! Come join Coach Bruce and Coach Audrey (Co-Directors) and a bunch of foul-mouthed, stinkin’ coaches such as myself to run the frosty trails of MoCo this Winter as we train for the Seneca Greenway Marathon and 50K. Here is the link:

https://www.mcrrc.org/…/winter-trail-running-training-prog…/

OK. Nuff.
C u on the dirt in the dark!
Cheers,
Muddy ‘Nocturnal’ Shoes

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Stone Mill 50 Miler Course Preview #2 – Saturday 14 October 0730

Listen Up, Trailies!

Time to do #2! ….uh…that is as in Stone Mill 50 Course Preview Run #2. Not the other Number 2 as in…well…ya know…that poopy-thing that bears tend to do in the woods…or is it the Pope? I dunno. Actually, a lot of trailies end up doing that Number 2 thing in the woods as well..cuz…well…as you know…shit happens…ba-da-boom…but I digress…again. Speaking of digressing, did I ever …tell ya ’bout the time I was running after eating spicy Thai the night before and…wait…back on track!

Here we go. So, this Saturday you all will get a look at what is almost the entire second half of the outbound section of the course minus one small stretch we’ll get to later on. We will be running on the Muddy Branch Trail in its entirety. Starting at Pennyfield Lock we’ll head up to the Rt. 28 tunnel and then back down to the start. That 2nd part, the return leg of the out-n-back, is the way you’ll be coming during the race so that’s where ya need to pay attention. Altogether this will only be 19 miles or so. Feel free to add on extra if your little legs desire. We’ll have Pete setting up some aid at Turkey Foot Road for your dining and replenishing pleasure. That will be at about mile 4 outbound or 15-ish inbound. We’ll also have snacks at the end.

Check out the attached map to get an idea where each of the preview runs will be on the course. Mileage is -ish (Duh!)

Location: Pennyfield Lock, Pennyfield Road off of River Road (When you get to the canal go all the way down to your left)
Coordinates: 39.053729, -77.288852
Time: 0730
Course: Out-n-back on Muddy Branch Trail (up to tunnel at rt. 28)
Distance: 19-ish miles or so.
Cost: Coupla bucks to keep things going
Etiquette: Foul language and use of four-letter words permitted if used as an adjective as in. ‘This mud is effing scrumptious’, as a verb ‘So-and-so is sh*ting in those bushes’ , as a noun “That hill was a real b**ch”. etc.

OK, C U Stinking Trail Hounds there.
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes

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Stone Mill 50 Miler Course Preview Run #1 – Saturday 7 October 0730

Hey Stone Millers,

Ready for Stone Mill Course Preview Run #1??? Well, we are! No bout a doubt it! Yes, I know those words are reversed and perversed, just like you’ll be at the end of the run. Well, hopefully not reversed cuz that means you went off-trail and we have to go get you. And hopefully not perversed cuz…well… just cuz we don’t need that either. But we can guarantee you’ll get a good look at th…e top part of the Stone Mill 50 course which is a part that you will run on the way out (first leg) and on the way in (last leg). Plus you get to go around Clopper Lake (which you have to do on the way out.)

Fair warning – there is a wee bit of pavement involved in this run. But only a little. That’s right, we’ll be starting and ending at the official Start/Finish line and giving you a look at what you’ll see at the beginning and glorious end of the race and that involves hitting a bit of asphalt to get you to and from the trailhead (1.25 miles each way)

There will be water on the course and snacks back at the start/finish. Feel free to bring a snack if ya got one.

Fan-favorite Mike Edwards will be leading this run. Listen to him, he’ll explain everything. Do what he says (within reason).

Here are the details:

When: Saturday 7 October
Time: 0730
Location: Stedwick Elementary School 10631 Stedwick Rd, Montgomery Village, MD 20886
Cost: Slide us a $5 bill or some loose change from under your couch cushions.
Distance: I dunno…somewhere in the 18-19-ish range? (Ya didn’t really expect exact mileage from a trail runner, did ya?)

OK, side note, these course preview runs are brought to you by MyMuddyShoes, the local trail tribe here in Montgomery County, in conjunction with the Stone Mill 50 Race Directors – all rise – Barry Hauptmann and John Fitz! You may be seated. Anyway we run every Tuesday (in the dark) every Thursday (in the dark) and every Saturday when MCRRC Winter Trails is not in session. Check us out on Facebook, Yahoo or at www.mymuddyshoes.org .

OK, that’s it! Be there or be square.
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes

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Fall Trail Running – Saturday – Cabin John

Yo Trail Hounds,

Saturday with cooler temps and lower humidity? I’ll take it! After all of our suffering through the heat this Summer, we are finally being given the weather we thrive in. Not a good morning to sleep in. Wait! Sleeping in?!? What is that? Not something trailies are used to. Naps? now that’s something I know a little ’bout. But, I digress.

…

Tomorrow we will be puttin’ (Not to be confused with Putin!) our trail shoes on the lovely dirt of the Cabin John Trail for a nice long run. How far? Up to you. The trail is somewhere between 8 and 9 miles long and we will be starting in the middle of it. We’ll do the short Northern loop first (North of Tuckerman) then head South to MacArthur Blvd and back up. Of course, you can run longer or shorter. Up to you!

Here are the details:

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

– The 3rd Annual Muddy Shoes Phantastic Phall Phat Ass is coming up phast. Mark your calendars. Sunday November 5th at Lake Needwood. Better than any thing on pavement. We need volunteers as well. Great pot luck following event.

– We have Muddy Shoes Buffs ($10) and Car Magnets ($1) for sale. See Coach Phil or Mike Chau.

– The Stone Mill 50 Miler Course Preview and Training Runs will be held each Saturday in October. Get a peek at what the course lloks like. Open to all.

– Check out the NEW Muddy Shoes website www.mymuddyshoes.org

OK, Nuff Stuff!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes

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R-U-Bluffing-Me Saturday Trail Run – 0730 @ Riley’s Lock

Gonna be a great day for a long trail run, Cowboy. No, I’m not bluffing you BUT we are going to ‘Run the Bluffs’ as they say in MoCo trail running circles. Actually, I don’t know who ‘they’ is…or are…its just a figure of speech, ya know. BUT (another but in all caps?! must be important!) I digress! Seems to happen to me alot..that ‘digress’ thing…ya know, did I ever tell ya ’bout the time I …never mind…we are running Seneca Bluffs …Trail on Saturday morn. One of my favorites. I’m not bluffing! A real treat. Out-n-back to Rt. 28 will be about 14 round trip. Stretch it to Black Rock Mill and back to get in 17 if you like. I’ll try to put some water out there.

Here are the details:

Location: Riley’s Lock Lock 24, Darnestown, MD 20874, USA
Latitude: 39.068813 | Longitude: -77.340832

Time: 0730

Course: North on Seneca Bluffs to Rt. 28 and back

Other Stuff:

NEXT SATURDAY – We are doing the Phat Cat Run up North in the Catoctins. Robin will be in charge (God help us!- just kidding….God can’t do anything! We’ll be on our own!) Here is the link to sign up

https://www.facebook.com/events/1911987719055841/)

Stone Mill Traing Runs start October 7th…look for more info to come your way. Donations will be appreciated. You don’t have to be doing Stone Mill to do these runs. All are welcome and you can go longer or shorter.

OK…boss-man wants me to start working (What the hey!?!)

C U Muddy Minions in the Morning! I’m not bluffing!

Cheers,
Muddy Shoes

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Thursday Evening Trails at Cabin John

Go forth and run, oh ye Muddyshoes bunch! Cabin John awaits you tonight, bring lights, bring your nerves for overcoming the fears 😱 of darkness. I promise you, you’ll get used to it and enjoy running by fireflies💥, headlamps and others, before it really gets colder — and by then the reflections on snow will light up the run.
As Phil would say, I digress. You’ll want to run north tonight from the Tennis Center parking lot across Tuckerman and around the “new” trail near 270…. 7-8 miles in all unless you turn back early.

Sadly, I won’t be with you. It’s that day once a month when I must go to the Board meeting. Phil Epstein,
Ashley Tipton, Smita or another regular, please direct the hordes for me. I’ll be back next week. Actually had to run favement this morning to make up for it and fit running in the schedule today. Puck it.

Here’s your schedule and location–

Where: Meet at Cabin John Tennis and Nature Center parking lot, to the right off Democracy going west from 270. If you reach Seven Locks, you’ve gone too far.

When: 6:15 for warm-up; 6:30 to pick up late comers and do full run.

Bring lights. Let everyone know you’re coming. Have fun!!

Gretchen

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Last Needwood Run Tonight and Outta-the-Way!

Well, so I lied last week when I said we were done for the season at Needwood. Me thinks we can squeeze one more in before moving to our Winter quarters. And, of course we need to celebrate the end of the Summer Needwood runs. Cuz we need a reason to hoist a cold burger and a juicy beer….wait…thats backwards…figure it out yourself. Needless to say, the evening will go like this:
1. Mingle, Mingle Mingle in parking lot
2. 6:15… Warm Up Mile
3. Back to parking lot and more mingle, mingle, mingle
4. 6:29 Coach Phil says “Yo, listen up! blah, blah, blah, then go left at the big tree blah blah, then out and back on blah, blah hill repeats blah blah…” you know the drill
5. At 6:30 the running begins!
6. Finish run, mingle, mingle, head to Outta-the-Way Cafe for fun and carbs.

BRING HEADLAMP u will need it by the end of the run.

Details:
Location: Parking lot at the Hiker/Biker Trail –
15679 Needwood Lake Cir, Derwood, MD 20855
Time: Warmup starts at 6:15 – run starts at 6:30
Course: Counter-clockwise. Out-n-back on Beaver Tale, cross causeway and out-n-back on Troll Trail down Westside Trail to Adies Hill for repeats (Stone Millers need to do these!) and back to cars.

– Mark your calendars NOW for the 3rd Annual Muddy Shoes Phantastic Phall Phat Ass Trail Haph Marathon and 10k – Sunday 5 November. More details to come!

– We will be running various locations on Saturdays through September. Stay tuned for weekly announcements. In October we host the Stone Mill Course Preview Training Runs each Saturday. More to come on that too.

That’s it! C U Trail Dogs there!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes

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2017 Stone Mill 50 Course Preview Training Runs

 

OK, Stone Millers, it’s time to start training up and getting’ yer head in gear for Stone Mill. Its coming up. We’ll be hittin the course piece-by-piece in a series of course preview training runs. The purpose of these trots is to get folks out on the course to get a look-see at what they’ll be tackling on race day. Gives ya just a little advantage that you’ll have in your back pocket on race day. This year the runs will be put on by the MyMuddyShoes Trail Runners, a local group of trail runners in Montgomery County, MD. The preview runs will be held over 4 Saturdays in October, with a BONUS 5th week at the 3rd Annual Muddy Shoes Phantastic Phall Phat Ass Trail Haph Marathon and 10K also put on by MyMuddyShoes. The Half will be a great taper run for Stone Millers.

On each of the training runs there’ll be water set out on the course and chewable stuff back at the parking lots. However, these runs will be BYOTP…yeah, the TP stands for toilet paper. Feel free to bring a pass-around to share if you want. All runs will be on Saturday mornings, starting at 0730. Open to all. Folks can feel free to donate $3 or $4 bucks or any loose change they find on the floor of their car to help defray the cost of water and snacks…and to pay for my vacation home at the beach…kidding!…wanted to see if you were still paying attention!

*Please note, the course may not be marked beyond the normal trail markings (tree blazes), and neither Stone Mill nor MyMuddyShoes are responsible or liable for any incidents that may occur during these runs including. This includes fronting bail money!

While subject to change, here is the schedule as of right now. I’ll send out notifications the Friday before each run. OK, here ya go:

Preview Run #1 – 7 October – Stedwick E.S. – The run will take you from the school onto Stedwick Rd. for a short bit then left on Watkins Road (yeah, its pavement, but only for a short bit) over to the Seneca Greenway trailhead where you get back on dirt heading South to Clopper Lake. Go around lake and back. Distance – about 20 Miles

Address: 10631 Stedwick Rd, Montgomery Village, MD 20886

Preview Run #2 – 14 October – Pennyfield Lock – Start at Pennyfield Lock and head North up Muddy Branch Trail to Rt. 28 and back. Distance – about 17 Miles

Address: 39.0537° N, 77.2889° W

Preview Run #3 – 21 October – Pennyfield Lock (again) – Start at Pennyfield Lock and head up C&O Canal to the start of Greenway Trail by the actual Stone Mill and head North up to Rt. 28 parking lot. Distance – about 20 Miles

Address: 39.0537° N, 77.2889° W

Preview Run #4 – 28 October – Rt.28 Trail Head – Head North up Greenway and Seneca Ridge Trail to Quince Orchard Road. Down Rt. 28 (sidewalk to start of Muddy Branch trail. Distance – about 22 Miles

Addrss: 39.128111, -77.332955

Bonus Taper Run – Sunday 5 November – 3rd Annual Muddy Shoes Phantastic Phall Phat Ass Half Marathon and 10k. Great taper run.

Note: Each of these runs is an out-n-back, so the distance is easily customized to your needs.

StoneMillPreviewRunsMap