My boy Ivan Marsh outdid himself this time. A trail race in Nebraska? In February? On the Platte hills? Sweet. I just felt really bad for the dude I saw in the parking lot wearing some brand spanking new Nike Frees. Those shoes were going to jacked up today.
Why is trail running great? Why ISN’T it great? Forget about the splits. Forget about worrying about weather. Forget about running fast. Trail running takes my favorite running (cross country) to another level. You can’t take yourself to seriously. You only really need to worry about staying on your feet while somehow enjoying the natural surroundings. The vibe is chill, the people generally cool, and you get more bang for your buck at a trail race than any other event out there. Do yourself a favor and go race the trails somehow, or at the very least go run your local dirt path.
Some things are bigger than a race. As much work and sacrifice and mental/spiritual effort you put into that date circled on your calendar this year, there are some things in life that just make running seem insignificant. This weekend was a stark reminder of that for me. At the end of each fall I pick a race in February that keeps me motivated to run through the winter months. This year it was the USATF National Cross Country Championships at Forest Park in St Louis, MO.
I did some different training this season designed by my fellow coach Matt Musiel (you can read about it here and here). For the last two years I have been fighting some serious leg fatigue that is a result of a strange muscle imbalance. Working with a physical therapist it has come and gone and I have shown flashes of what I consider to be some of my potential. I was hoping this weekend would be a “gone” race. I was wrong.
It is my second attempt at doing some homebrew and it turned out very well, if I do say so myself. The name has its origins in the fact that I live about a block from the third mile of the Lincoln Marathon course. Not sure I will ever get to much into making my own beer, but it is really fun and kind of a joy to share it with friends after a run.
So far I had encountered the aforementioned truck. 1 jeep that was enjoying the deep snow, a branch landing two drives from me, two flashes that could have either been power lines blowing up or cool ass snow lightning, and lots of shin deep snow. Hitting the trail I was the only one out there (except for Ryan, who was a stupid as I to be out there). Therein lies the beauty. One of my favorite things about winter running is getting up early and getting dibs on the fresh powder.
