Summer may have a beginning, but it will never end. Or so goes the motto of the
Endless Summer Trail Run Series, which began—with summer—a couple weeks ago on a muggy Wednesday night at the Hyland Lake Park Reserve, just a few miles south of our home in downtown Minneapolis.
I guess there are certain things about each season of the year that are particularly, uniquely, glorious to that season—the snow of winter, the bursting greens of spring, the steady-state heat of the summer, the reflective color of fall all come to mind. And I was just a few awkward warm-up strides into my pre-race routine Wednesday night when I rounded a corner and saw something that I immediately added to my list of summer glories. A low cloud of mistiness had settled only a few feet above the trail, a hovering leftover from some thundershowers that passed through earlier in the afternoon.
Ah, summer.
Additional glories I discovered during the warm-up were some trail-wide puddles and some sure to be mudslides on several of the inclines. I remember making a mental note to slow-down on the return descent so as not to slide off into a tree. Even though these events aren't "peak" races (to do so may threaten the low-key atmosphere), there was still a bit of happy anticipation as I toed the starting line, shoes already soaked from the jog. Enjoying a run in a t-shirt and shorts is not a given in Minnesota, even in summer!
From the race:
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| The start |
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| Off we go! |
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| Somewhere between miles 4 and 5 |
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| Sneaking by for 14th place in 39:02. This would have been a PR for the 10k distance, but I'm pretty sure the course was ~half a mile short. (Splits: 6:33, 6:42, 7:19, 7:26, 7:21, 6:31-pace (3:43 for last 0.6 mi)) |
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| Mud! |
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| Count me in for next year, dad! |
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| Ah, summer. |
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| Post-race basking |
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| Coffee mugs this year! |
Video from the race:
2 comments:
"We've been accused of false advertising. The summer will, in fact, end."
You never know. Maybe this will be the year . . .
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