Running Stories

Without fail, I experience something unexpected at every Club Fat Ass event.  Today was no exception. 

Here are the top 10 unexpected things I experienced today in the bizarre world that is Mutha's Nature Trail Run

The Seymour Sweep involves bagging all of the named peaks in the Fannin Range in one day.  This takes some doing.  Few have been successful.  Those who have experienced hardship.

Hey my canadian friends,

After spending some days through Switzerland with my bike (pictures are on their way), running some little runs in Geneva, I am on my way to run the Morat Fribourg run next sunday!

It's a 17km run starting from Morat and going till Fribourg. It's a really famous run here in Switzerland, where more than 8000people are taking part of it.

After last weeks white-out and retreat from Seymour, the forecast today looked promising and I planned to bag DePencier Bluffs.  A unsuspecting guest at a friends dinner party last night, Karen, got roped into the action.  Little did she know about the Bagger Challenge, waterbagging and helicopter rides.

Karen arrived for a late start around 9:30 at my house.  I tried not to freak her out as I set her up with a flashlight, emergency blankie and a whistle.  
 

 Lewis & Clark Trail is one of my favorites to run in all of the St. Louis area. The best attraction it offers is STUNNING views of the Missouri River along its bluffs, as well as views of the surrounding river valley near Chesterfield, MO.

Edgar M. Queeny County Park is located between Town & Country, MO and Mancheser, MO. I like training in this park for a few key reasons:

-Proximity to my house, maybe 10k away

-Rolling Hills-nothing big, but a good workout!

-Runnable off and on road terrain

After my fall two weeks ago and missing the Sunshine in September run and most of the Mountain Highway Madness, I was eager to get out on the trails again.  A 10min trial run had established that I wouldn't be able to go for a longer run, but I felt confident, that I could go on a shorter hike.  Perfect timing, as Wendy, who also is recovering from a fall, was game for a little peak bagging.  

Without much discussion, we settled on heading for DePencier Bluffs, the newest kid on the block with regards to the Bagger Challenge, and by all accounts an easy peak that could be done before lunch without problem.   The weather forecast was for rain overnight and it looked like things could ease up mid morning.  Well, it didn't just rain overnight, it hammered....Noticed that the forecast was downgraded and now called for heavy rain, but undeterred, I picked up Wendy on the way to the base of Seymour.

 Chubb Trail, near Eureka, MO boasts a wide variety of terrain. It's a point-to-point 7.5+ trail that stretches between Lone Elk County Park and West Tyson County Park in St. Louis County. It's convenient to run because it has plenty of parking at either end, and if you don't feel up to making the complete round trip for 15.5 miles, you could always call for a ride from either parking lot ;-) It's only a 10 minute drive from my house - so that's a big plus for me. It offers a some nice views as you run along the Meramec River and the surrounding river valley.