We started the day with a tasty breakfast at the Broadway Deli. Today's special was a scramble with avocado, tomato and smoked gouda...don't forget the sausage patties. Delicious!
Then we headed to Bradbury for a 10-mile run. We did one lap of the Bradbury Breaker course and then the Bradbury Scuffle course, but just cut back to the parking lot via the Link Trail. (Or the way that I thought the course went during the race.)
Bradbury was fairly busy today, and as we started out on the Northern Loop Trail we passed a number of hikers and walkers. D said, "Well, I guess we're the crazy ones." I can't imagine why she would have said that. We chatted as we went until D stopped abruptly hacking and spitting. Apparently, the bug she swallowed was not her favorite flavor. The rest of the Breaker loop was uneventful for the most part. Although, my legs were tired. Between still recovering from Cranmore, my run yesterday, and not getting home until midnight (I was at a "I just got a new job" party [not for me]), I don't think I was set up to feel frisky. I also knew I wasn't at a peak hydration, so I brought 32 ounces of liquid with me. Water and a water/Hammer Gel mix. By the time we finished the Breaker course, 4.5 miles, I'd already downed 8 ounces of the mix and 6 ounces of water.
I have to say that the Breaker certainly lives up to its name. Its' going to make for a really, really tough race. I'm bummed I have to work that day and can't run it. Well, sort of bummed. Don't get me wrong, it's a great course, but with the drop down the South Ridge Trail, then straight up the Summit Trail, it's going to take a lot out of the racers legs. Oh, and they have to do two laps. Sort of like Cranmore, and, trust me, that hurt. The Breaker course also utilizes the Switchback Trail, which I had never run before. Neat trail, but not easy. By the time we got back to the parking lot for a pee break and to switch our empty bottles for some full ones, I was pretty tired. I probably could have called it a day a that point, but that wasn't in the cards. So, off we went.
The Scuffle course is easier than the Breaker course, but it's not easy. As we started up the first uphill, which is really minor, my legs were not happy. I was turning the Scuffle course into the Bradbury Shuffle. I tried to revive myself and simultaneously annoy D by telling stories about the race. "This is where I ran really hard for seven and a half feet." She was very impressed. For some reason, the Ginn trail seemed to take for.......ever. It felt like we could have timed it with a calendar. Eventually, we reached the Snowmobile Trail. I must have stubbed my toes 11 times on the way in. I was barely lifting my legs. I could keep up the conversation, but there just wasn't much in the tank. I was pretty much done by the time we turned on the Link Trail. About 200 yards from the finish, I hit my toe on a rock really hard and nearly went down. Not as bad as the mountain biker we came across about 100 yards later. He'd nailed a rock and pretty clearly broken his arm. A friendly park ranger was splinting his arm and loading him into the back of his ATV. He was with three other bikers, and I offered to walk his bike back to the parking lot. Bummer. One of his companions said he planned to tap a keg of homebrew today. Hopefully, he's enjoying the beers of his labor right now.
For us, it was a good run. Like I said, I was pretty sluggish, but I'm glad we did it. It was a beautiful day and great to be out on the trails. I'm going to try to put more long runs in as the summer goes on. You never know when they might come in handy.
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