Remember that ill-fated 30-miler? The one where my dad picked me up because I'd essentially run an ultramarathon by myself and STILL had miles to go before I reached my car? I don't, because I was mentally decimated by the end, but maybe you do.
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The beginning of my lovely trail at Pike Lake State Park.
Except I took this when I got back...it was a little dark when I started. |
Well, yesterday, on a beautiful day in the southern Kettle Moraine, I ran that route backwards, finishing the lengthy, hilly, and beautiful Holy Hill segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. I woke up at 5 a.m. to get out to Pike Lake State Park, then ran out for two hours, turned around, and ran back. It was glorious - good temps, blue sky, bright sun, and a nice mix of farm, forest, hills, and meadows.
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| Trail to the right, view to the left...obviously, as a sucker for a view, I turned left. |
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They were right about that view! Holy Hill, National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians. And PB Berry Blast!
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| My trail is so badass that there are animal skulls sitting on the trail blazes. What does your trail have?! |
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| One of my favorite sections: boardwalk over marsh, next to a farm. The trail comes out next to the farmhouse and you're basically running through these people's front yard. Not awkward at all. |
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Post-run at Pike Lake. It was a challenging 4 hours, but left me with so many endorphins that that LaraBar was the BEST EVER, and my water was the BEST thing I'd EVER drunk, and every song that came on the radio was the BEST song EVER. Love it!
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And as a nice bit of closure in terms of the tough call I made to get picked up after 30 miles...I found out that when my dad rescued me on the road, I was still 8 miles from my finish. Which means I did the right thing by calling and am officially not a wimp. Yesssss.
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