Cameron Park on foot

This time, I actually was able to follow the run course. All the turns were marked and the arrows hadn't yet been shredded. It's a pretty fun run course, starting out with the climb up Jacob's ladder. A great way to wake up the legs after the challenging bike course! Then we meander around the disc golf course, through Proctor Springs and Miss Nellies Pretty Place to join the bike course on the single track. It's a short and sweet descent on Root Canal, then onto the pavement for a short stretch before re-entering the woods. At that point, the run is classic twisting single track where keeping eyes on the trail is key. After a road crossing, there is more of the fun and flowing single track before popping out onto the power line trail. From there, it's a double track trail that merges into the bike course again for a little bike. There's some fresh cut single track with some pretty steep and tricky descents. Another long section of road leads to the final drop to the river trail. And that last little chunk of trail is gonna need some attention on race day! It's pretty tough. Finally, onto the river trail for the dash to the finish line, through boulders and trees. There are a few places where the trail looks like it's had a rock slide or two. I liked the run course this year a lot, good flow and plenty of trail. I would have liked it a lot more if my left Achilles and calf hadn't gone into spasm about halfway through! That wasn't pleasant and I'm still trying to work the spasm and pain out.

After lunch, time for a dip in the river. I'd been putting off getting in for a day since the river looked really appealing and such. But not today - time to get muddy, literally. The worst part about getting into the river is the foot of mud right at the shore line. Now, I know mud is supposed to be good for the skin, but it's still slimy and a weird sensation as you step down and sink. Then there is the water. It's clean, safe for swimming, but that's not what it looks like. Start swimming and there is no visibility beyond your shoulders. Seeing your fingers? Forget it. The feet of the person in front of you? Not until it's too late! Add in the river current and the waves from the wind and it's quite the adventure. Today, the wind was downstream, blowing in the same direction as the current. That made the return leg, up stream into the wind, a bit challenging to find a good rhythm. But the winds might change on race day. The water was also rather warm - quite the change from last weekend!