Skyline Ridge

This past Saturday marked my 2nd trail run of the year and it was as good as the first, if not more torturous in how much sheer willpower it took to NOT run the trails.

Todd and I showed up bright and early to help out at registration, which I actually love doing. It's a nice way to say hello to people, match faces to names, and try to stay warm before the sun comes out.

All distances started at the same time at this race and the shorter 14K distance split off immediately towards the Russian Ridge side of the mountain. The trails wound around the hills, through forested area and then back out into the wide open hillsides with incredible views. The trails themselves were mostly mild inclines and mild descents. There was little in extreme variation. Thus the torture. Turn after turn I ran into the kind of trails that called for you to sprint them with a big smile on your face. Alas, I kept myself in check and hiked it. Technical difficulties arose when I could not decide whether to run the milder uphill slopes or not. They weren't exactly the type of steep incline that I was trying to restrict myself to. My answer came right after hitting the aid station. In front of me was a gentle slope that became a steeper incline towards the top. I decided to start my jog at the bottom and see how I felt. Well, just a few jogs in, my lower back gave me a little jolt, so there was no more of that for the rest of the run. I stuck to the steepest parts and hiked the rest, taking lots of pictures and enjoying myself. The sun had lifted by that point, so the chill was mostly out of the air and it was a nice hike/jog back to the finish where I helped myself to peanut M&M's (yummm) and was teased by Aaron while I waited for Todd to finish.

Bonus: I ranked Bottom Ten this time. Actually #10. Sweet! :D

Scott Dunlap ran up and said "Picture Time!!", so we both stopped and snapped these pix.




















More Photos of Skyline Ridge Trail Run