Last Saturday, September 13th, I ran a 25-kilometer trail run at Lake Perry (15 miles or so away from Topeka, KS). It had rained all week long and was raining Saturday morning as the run started. It was warm and muggy and overcast. I anticipated lots and lots of mud and was suprised and pleased that overall I didn't encounter too much until the end. It was wet and slick, however, with lots of standing water (but luckily with often a clay underfoot instead of dirt which would mean mud). I did a 'face plant' about 4 miles in, tripping on a rock that was submerged in water and landing in a soft, muddy spot. I was covered from head to toe on the left side of my body. I got up, laughed, and kept running. The guys running around me laughed too. I had the pleasure of running several miles with my new friend Gary Henry (Lunar Trek, July). It turned out to be a good day, though by the end of the 15.5 miles, I was covered in mud almost completely and ready to sit down after running for 3 hours, 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
The race is called the Rock Creek Trail Series and put on by the Great Plains Running Company out of Topeka. To see final results and info:
http://trailrunning.greatplainsrunning.com/
