2009 Run With Scissors

I awoke last Sunday morning at 2:00 AM. Why would I want to do that? I had a race of course! More of a run than a race, really. It was a "fun run"! It also started at 5:00 in the morning, so I had to get up very early to accommodate. I took part in the Run With Scissors Trail Marathon +. There was also a double marathon, but I wasn't planning on running that far. Not yet, anyway. The + part means the distance was slightly over 26.2 miles. As far as I know, the distance was about 26.7 miles for the single loop.

The run was great! We began in the dark and we ran in the dark for the better part of the next three hours. I found myself off-course twice, having missed turn markers. There were hills, rocks, roots, mud, hills, steps, horse poop, mud, water crossings, and hills. It was an AWESOME course! I really can't wait to run it again next year! Here are some photos from the event:

Here we are lined up for the start. I'm on the far right.

A view from the valley floor just after sunrise.

The Sound of Music Hills on the return trip. It had been totally dark the first time we crossed them.

A better resolution image of the Sound of Music Hills. They were before mile 4 on the way out and just after mile 22 on the way back!

About to finish the Marathon +.

This was the turn around point for the Double Marathon. Those runners needed to turn around and do it all over again!

Muddy shoes: Check!

Wet and muddy socks: Check!

Cold, tired, and wrinkled feet: Check!

My "tires" were in need of some serious cleaning after this event!

The weather for this run was amazing. The course was really hard, but tons of fun. My first trail race was supposed to be Bobcat next weekend, but I ended up signing up for this one at the last moment. I am so glad I did. Not only does it give me a really good idea of what to expect next weekend, but I would have missed an absolutely perfect running experience had I missed it. I'm already looking forward to next year's event (which may be on Halloween morning) and I'm thinking about definitely going longer.

But for now, it's off to work, where I will gaze longingly out the window at the sunshine because it will be almost dark by the time I get to leave the office.