101 and the Saturday Rave Run

First, I have no posted 101 times!

Second, I got some running in sunshine!  Runners from the Corvallis Trail Runners, Heart of the Valley (HOTV) Runners (my group), the Corvallis Running Project, and a few other non-affiliates met up at the 29th St. Bumper for a little forest running Saturday morning.  The ultrarunners were putting 3 hrs. on their legs, and some like me wanted less than 2 hrs, so we caught them mid-run coming from town.

Courtesy of the dry weather we have been having, the trails were "mucky" instead of "muddy"... an important distinction that means the difference between having your foot stay put where you plant it and sliding off the trail and catapulting into a tree in an imitation of a person falling from a plane without a parachute.

The first part of our run was a 40-odd-minute slug up to Dimple Hill through Chip Ross and then up Dan's.  Once at the top, we shed layers, regrouped and sidled around on the fire-roads, Hydra trail, a trail-to-remain-nameless that led to the top of Bombs Away, and then finally down Horse Trail back to Chip Ross.  The whole thing was at conversational pace, a total of 11-miles through the winking sunbeams filtered by the trees and ferns.  My longest run this year and it felt great.

All was fine until the last 400 yds back to the cars.  We hit a patch that could best be described as muddy (see previous description).  It came after a hair-pin turn and just after the beginning of a really steep section... Arms and legs went in four different directions as they searched for purchase... I came to rest on two feet (thankfully) about a foot from a barbed wire fence (ooohh... that would have hurt) and best of all, not taking any runners out with me.  Gerhard was behind and he gave me some major props for the save and not pulling a muscle.

After that, I figured I deserved sustenance and awesomeness in the form of a bottomless cup of coffee and a southwestern-style omelette at Zia's on 3rd St.... can you say "mouth on fire"!  I think this may be the second time that I have discovered that jalapenos and coffee don't mix :-)