Winter has Arrived

I began the new year with the annual Recover From the Holidays 50k fun run, sponsored by Don Smith. This was our sixth year for the run, and over seventy folks showed up to run with us. It was a good thing that we moved the start area, as the old one would not have comfortably accommodated all of those runners. The weather was great, and the food that people brought was even better. Joe Bertini and Cindy Sanchas each brought hot food that everyone enjoyed. We had a generator to supply electricity and a gas stove to heat up soup. You can view a recap of the run here:

http://www.laurelultra.com/usc50.htm

Next month there is another fun run at Mingo Creek County Park, Dave Micklo and friends are sponsoring it. I have added some information on another webpage that you can view here:

http://www.laurelultra.com/mingo_mingle.htm

Many of those who ran with us last week have e-mailed to say that they will be at the Mingo run. For those of you who have not run in Mingo Park before, this is a great way to learn some of the trails. It is a very good park for trail running. Check out the webpage, and e-mail Dave M. or myself if you have any questions. Otherwise, I will see you all on February 14th. Don't worry, you will be done early enough to take your significant other out to dinner.

We are finally getting some cold winter weather along with a little snow. Chuck and I can get some much needed training, pulling our sleds, and camping in the cold. We were going to spend last weekend at Laurel, but the rain put a damper on those plans. We are probably the only two people in Pittsburgh who are looking forward to the cold snap that is bearing down on the area. We will spend the first part of the weekend in the mountains, and then head up to Cleveland early Sunday morning for the Buckeye Trail 50k. The BT50k has become somewhat of a ritual for us, as this will be the fourth year in a row we have gone. We make a day of it, running the race, eating at a local pub, and visiting with our friend Vince at Vertical Runner in Hudson. Last year I picked up a Smartwool shirt that worked perfectly during my Alaska expedition.

I finished my sled prototype and took it out for a spin tonight. It worked wonderfully. I had trouble last year with my sled tipping over on the Iditarod Trail, so I tried to tip the new one, and could not do it. I still have a few tweaks to make before building the final version that I will take to Alaska. I am real excited that my design is working so well.

Stay warm, and keep up the base training. These are the kind of days that make us tough later in the year.