Monday, July 18, 2011

Today's special...trail mix

Restaurants many times have specials in addition to their regular menu items, and in my experience,  those offerings can be quite enticing.  Of course, if you have a favorite eatery, then you may not even consider looking at their specials.  However, every so often something just sounds appetizing, and that's what you order.  Hopefully, there are few surprises, and after the meal is complete, you are genuinely glad that you were adventuresome.  Well, when it comes to running, choosing something "off" the usual menu might just be more appealing too.

The Western New Hampshire trail run series held its fourth race in the 2011 season this past weekend in Charlestown, NH, the Wicked Wildcat Wander.  My brother invited me to join him on this little "walk" in the woods, and with the heat and humidity, there was plenty of that.  However, the conditions didn't discourage us or the other entrants, but it wasn't exactly a cake walk.  The terrain really dictates the pace, and in this case, the first part of the course was predominately uphill.  But what goes up must come down, so the second half really was all downhill.

Trail running offers a unique and different experience when compared to road racing, but that can be a welcome contrast to the usual fare.  In the end, my brother and I enjoyed ourselves, not only for the trail running experience, but the race organizers handed out homemade bread and a cutting board to the winners.  Now that isn't something that you see everyday either.  In our case, we had to settle for a few tasty bagels.  However, judging from our excitement following our day in the woods, I think we will just have to ask for seconds.  Trail mix anyone?

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