NEO Trail Club

Cross via the CB, covered bridge at the mill

Slim and I will be running in the park on Friday AM, we will put some very limited markings down. pink ribbon and colored chalk on the snow. orange and or yellow..........

Without any mile markers to check if they are going up or down, you had better know the route.
Many times in MCP I have seen trail runners wandering around not knowing where they are going.
Once we lost a runner for a few hours, only to have him show up again, not knowing where he had been.

MCP always seems confusing until you spend some time down there running in circles.

No issues on Saturday.
MCP is one place that you can plop me down and in 10 seconds I will know where I am.

No overlooks or lake detours to worry about.

I wouldn't look at them anyway, as long as my pace was good.

Bob, I marked the course after work. I used flower at all the turns. No one should get lost. There really isn't a lot of snow on the trails.

"official pre run course report"

Boy I am really getting soft. Slim and I ran a loop this morning and used a whole roll of pink ribbon to mark the course.

There is very little snow in most places about 1 inch. There is some ice, screwed shoes are not as necessary as Feb and March running when the glaciers.

See yins in the AM................

Bob

Thanks for all your hard work on this, guys. Now all you need to do is set up the Covered Bridge aid station. Kimba said this year we get McGriddles sandwiches and hot coffee. If you wouldn't mind throwing in a few McSkillet Burritos (with sausage, please) that would be great. And maybe some hotcakes since you can easily fold and carry them on the trail (best to go light on the syrup).

Looking forward to it - see y'all bright and early tomorrow!
Courtney

One more question: is there parking at the Log Cabin?

There are 2 parking lots very close to the cabin. One across the street from the boathouse and the other is just past the cabin.

I didn't get many of you in the photos, but great photos, nonetheless. Thanks to the whole NEO Trail for a GREAT time today...on and off the trail!

Admiral

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 97b38b82de

We had a little race in the middle of the URINEO..

I hit mile 30 right at the CB. Caffeine & sugar had just kicked in, and I was in the "hey! Only 30 miles" happy fest.
I think I was still on the wooden bridge, or just off, when Slim hollers at me from across the creek. "I'm coming for you"! The throwdown was only. I yelled back some equivalent of "yah, you think so" and I took off. I thought perhaps I could get as far as the Monkey Trails before he caught up.
I get to the Monkey Trails and take them as quickly as the slick conditions will allow. I'm sweating, but Slim is not in sight. I go around Pot Smoker's corner and have that very runnable section. The snow has packed down the more technical rocks, so I am able to move.
I get through Slippery Rock Pavilion, slowing down for little walk breaks, but then breaking into a run, thinking "he can catch me, but I'm going to make him work for it."
I climb up the mud at the Troll Bridge, and then the little switchback trail. At the top, I pause-and see him!!! He's under the bridge! Oh crap. Now he's about 1/10 of a mile behind me? I feel like the gazelle being hunted down by the relentless hunter.
Still, I got the "make him work for it" mentality, and I just go! I run into the Professor.
"Hi Rich, can't talk, Slim's hunting me down".... hug Rich, and keep going.
I'm at Volney Rogers, then crossing the road, crossing the interstate, carfefully going down the steel steps...still no Slim.

As I turn onto Price Road, I hear this ROAR and now there's a PACK of three (or four) runners, at the top of the Steel Steps! I both giggle and say 'oh shit' now I'm caught.

Then I decided, no, I'm not, they'll have to catch me. I run up the small incline hill (and mile 32) at a 9.31 minute mile. I'm pretty much sprinting (as much as I can at mile 32) trying to hit the log cabin before Slim. Lloyd Thomas comes out of nowhere behind, surprising me.

And I do it! I hit the log cabin about twenty feet in front of Slim. Both of us are laughing and breathing pretty hard. Nothing like a hard foot race in the 33rd mile or so of a 50 mile fat ass.

Now we need to hear Slim's side of the story. That was fun!