Knobby Tires

Report:
Went out today to look for Michele S.'s lost car key. Turns out an email was waiting for me when I finished and it looks like somebody else may have found it earlier. Good news.

As for the run itself, it was pretty uneventful. Not! I started at mile 4, walked to mile 4.5, ran back to mile 4, and continued to repeat the alternating run/walk for each half mile section of trail. Add to that, I damn near froze my hands off for the first mile or two. Thankfully I found some gloves in my gym bag after the first mile and wore them for the rest of the run. By the end, I had to pull down my arm sleeves because it was getting warm. I also managed to find a Hammer Gel top, Accel gel top, Coke can, beer can, and even a large soda cup from McDonalds. All of which I hiked out to the trail head and put in my trashcan. The only thing I left behind was the used condom and wrapper.

The big excitement though came from the hunter. I ran the leg from mile 2.5 to 2.0, went to the bathroom, then turned around to walk from mile 2.0 to 2.5. Right before the mile 2.0 marker is a cross over road where property owners can get from one side of the property to the other. So as I was walking back I saw a hunter in full camo walking on this cross over road. Casually walking across the road. Didn't look at me or acknowledge my presence in any way. Totally scared the shit out of me. The first half a second I thought it was Bigfoot or Knobby or something but it was just a guy walking across the trail. He kept walking and I kept walking. Thankfully I didn't die of a heart attack.

Beyond that, things were pretty sedate. Very cool to see the sun rise and the mist float around in the early morning hours.

Weather:
Temps started at 50F but ended up at 65F. Sun was out. No breeze that I could feel. Some humidity from yesterday's rain.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was water. During the run I had my hydration pack with water. Drank maybe 12 to 16 ounces. Recovery was an iced latte and breakfast burritos.

Aches and Pains:
None really. My hands were cold for the first mile but warmed up fine after I put gloves on. My arms were fine until about mile 3 when I got warm and pulled my sleeves down.

Gear:
Had my Salomon hydration pack with various stuff stashed in it. Nothing terribly exciting.

Codename - Knobby Tires
I mentioned the hunter made me think of Bigfoot or Knobby. Do some research about Knobby and you'll see he's been spotted in the area of Shelby, NC (where I used to live). And no, I didn't tell him to "git!" As for the tires, well, it looks like the trail is yet again being used by ATVs when it shouldn't be. Saw some skid marks near mile marker 4 and some new side trails in the area of mile marker 3.

Splits:
Mile 0.5 - 10:50
Mile 1 - 7:15
Mile 1.5 - 10:35
Mile 2 - 5:29
Mile 2.5 - 10:16
Mile 3 - 5:42
Mile 3.5 - 11:07
Mile 4 - 5:38
Mile 4.5 - 11:08
Mile 5 - 5:32
Finish - 1:23:36