=PR= Race Series held their third of four free trail runs this morning at Riverbend Park in Great Falls. 

From =PR= Race Series website:

The Trail series is perfect for runners of all levels.  If you are new to trail and just want to try it out, if you are an experienced trail-head or somewhere in between, this is the perfect opportunity to get out and explore our local trails.

Per usual, we had an MRTT multi-chapter photo-op just before the run started.  It’s always fun to meet new runners from around the area, and I got to officially meet Sarah-Joy whom I’ve been emailing back and forth with since last Saturday’s Burke Lake trail run.

RiverbendTrailRunMRTTGroup
 

As with the past trail runs, Terri, a representative from Potomac River Running Store got us started from our check-in point near the boat launch.  We had two choices for our run – we could run west and hit some of the more hilly portions of the trail, or we could run east and hit the more rocky portions. We chose hills over rocks.

RiverbendTrailRunPRRacingInstructions
 

In mid-June, I will be running on our local MRTT chapter’s Ragnar Appalachians team.  My friend Meagan from Turkey Runner is on our team, too!  Gayle, Angela, Lupe, Amanda (she’s on another Ragnar team), and I have found these training runs perfect for us as we prepare for our relay.

Once we took off for our run, we immediately slowed to let this family of geese and goslings cross the path and get out of our way.  After being pooped on yesterday by a bird, the last thing I wanted this morning was to be chased by an angry mama goose!

RiverbendTrailRunGeeseAndGoslings
 

Torrential downpours yesterday made parts of the trail very muddy, but for the most part, the terrain was delightful.  Hard packed sandy dirt down along the river made for the best running.  The hills were somewhat technical, but nothing compared to the Appalachian Trail.  Roots were more of a problem than rocks.

RiverbendTrailRunTrailSurface
 

Here Lupe plows through our first mud hole, and Angela follows right behind.

RiverbendTrailRunLupeMud
RiverbendTrailRunAngelaMud
 

Following the turquoise blaze, Bill leads our group of runners in search of a spot close to the river for the perfect…

RiverbendTrailRunBillLeadingGang
 

Jump shot! 

Lupe was so excited to jump that she just couldn’t wait for the rest of us!

RiverbendTrailRunJumpPicLupeUp
 

What goes up, must come down, and Lupe landed while we were at the top of our jump!  We tried about four different times, but were never able to sync.

RiverbendTrailRunJumpPicLupeDown
 

After our turnaround, we saw another goose family with their teenager goslings.

RiverbendTrailRunTeenageGoslings
 

Back on the hillier the portion of the trail, Amanda and I slowed for a few pictures…

RiverbendTrailRunTreeOnTrail
RiverbendTrailRunDebRunnindDownHill
RiverbendTrailRunDebRunningUpHill
RiverbendTrailRunPotomacRiverView
RiverbendTrailRunAmanda
 

And just to show you how dangerous trail running can be!

RiverbendTrailRunTrailHazards
 

I think our shoes speak volumes about how much fun we had on our trail run!

RiverbendTrailRunMuddyTrailShoes
 

Just like after last week’s trail run, and after another week of getting too little sleep, I took a three-hour nap this afternoon. Perhaps it’s a new trend, or perhaps I should just try to get more sleep.

My goal for this week is to get to bed before midnight on the nights that I’m getting up at 4:40 AM for our group runs!

 

  • Questions:
  • Local peeps, have you ever run at Riverbend Park?
  • Do you like running in the mud?
  • Who race this weekend?