My own private 30k trail run

Well, it was just under 30k, it was 18 1/2 miles. Three laps of the south horse/hiking trail at Baker Park Reserve. I started out at 9, just after dropping little boy off at Ihduhapi. He skis there in the winter, so advised me to run clockwise around. It was almost entirely fun. There were a couple of spots where I felt a little bleak, but generally I ran with a goofy smile on my face and was having a blast. The path went up & down hills (see above), through prairie (they hadn't mowed in awhile, the grass was about 6" high), through woods, through mud (see bel0w). The first lap was definitely the muddiest, and by the last lap most of the trail had dried out. I stopped at the car after each lap to refill water and grab more Clif shot bloks. I listened to music the whole time and that seemed to help. There was a triathlon going at the same time, I saw speedy bikers while driving to the park, and by my last lap, they were running on the paved trail that ran nearby. Heart rate on the first lap: 145. Second lap: 148. Third lap: 160. My last lap was about a second faster than my first. The middle was three minutes slower. I was stressing about getting back to the car on time to pick up little boy and it was also about 75 degrees and very sunny on that third lap, which I think added to the heart rate jump.

Today little boy & I ran 6 miles with the dog. It was much less muddy. I felt a little creaky for the first couple of miles, but then everything was ok.