Squishy Weekend

Two great runs this weekend, that were dominated by mud. Oh, sweet, sweet mud. How I've missed you.

The weekend started on Saturday at Pineland Farms with the Trail Monsters. My plan was for somewhere between 8 and 10 depending on how I felt. Based on the conditions, it was clear after a few minutes that 8 would be enough. The trails were muddy, snowy, icy, messy and downright ugly. In other words, good times. But not easy times. I ended up squishing through ankle deep mud and water on more than one occasion. When it wasn't muddy, the snow that had been groomed for the ski trails all winter had turned to packed ice—just ask Mindy. I'm still not 100% fresh after last weekend, so I forced myself to keep the pace nice and easy. The good part about that plan was that I got to run with just about everyone. I started near the front and just kept dropping back chatting with people along the way. Eventually, I ended up at the end of the train with Mindy and Emma. So, yeah, my plan was to just hang out with the ladies. Unfortunately, Ian, Jamie and James stopped to wait for us at one point. So much for my flawless plan. Ian stayed with the three of us for the rest of the run, until I decided to call it quits back at the parking lot. About half the group headed out for a few more miles, while Ian, Jeff and I hung out at the Pineland Farms Market plotting a strategy for Trail Monsters to take over the world.

Today was an uneventful day, but D and I did get out for a run in Commons this afternoon. The last time I ran in the Commons the snowbanks were huge and the trails were buried in snow. Not so today. Lots of mud, and the trails were mostly snow free. The weather today was warm, making it the perfect spring run. We moved along at a comfortable pace and had a really great time. I felt more lively today, which is a good sign. I'm still going to keep it mellow this week until a long run, which I have planned for Saturday. So all in all, it was a great, squishy weekend on the trails.