Trailing behind

I'm not sure why all of my longer-distance runs this year have been trail runs.  I really suck at trail running.  My left hip still hurts from my fall in Big Bend, though my right thumb tip grew back, but I still hiked it in the last 3ish miles of the Prickly Pear because I KNEW I would fall in the mud.

So, cue trails, cue mud - and cue the IAAP 10 mile trail run on the SOUTHSIDE last Sunday.  Spoiler:  I did not fall.  These were some beautiful trails along the Medina river - doubletrack, non-technical, wild flowers, lovely old trees, not-so-many hills, and, well, MUD.  The mud was crazy, but I really had a fun race, running with 3 strangers and stopping to scrape the mud off our shoes on trees and roads.

post-race Brak Pak mud - I'm the smart one wearing LOUD gators at house left - next to the guy who changed his shoes.  I dressed in LOUD colors so that, unlike a big plane in a big sea, if I got lost, satellites could find me without me having to ping.

So, this is what running with 5 pounds of mud on your shoes looks like - pathetic crazy running chicken:

Then, my buddy, Stefan, lapped me - he was only running twice the distance, but had a head start.

And he's clearly laughing at me.
So, I chased him like a super crazy running chicken (bkaw, bkaw, quiquiriqui?)

but at least I'm laughing in the rain and mud.  Or, maybe, because of this sign....yeah, not lately, Sal.

Thanks to Ceci/IAAP for the pics and Celia!