Chuckanut

I had a nice day today, taking Friday off work before the New Year's weekend.  I went to Chuckanut and hiked and ran the Ridge-Lost Lake Loop. There was snow on top of Chuckanut, and snow and ice on the backside out by Lost Lake. I find myself on days like this.

Slow and pleasant. I spent over 4 hours wandering. Temps were between 30 and 40, with the snow melting constantly off trees, and snowmelt running across the trail. Lost Lake had some ice. My right ankle didn't roll, but there is instability there. The left hip has voiced opposition as well. Worth it.

Deception Pass 25k

I had a fun day out at Rainshadow Running's Deception Pass 25k. I was a little nervous about the distance, because I haven't ran much the last two weeks, but I managed to keep a steady pace, while walking some of the uphills.

This is one of the best trail races in the U.S., I think. Provided the weather is good. I suppose it depends on what you want from your trail race. Here, the cliffs and views of the sea are ever present. The single track is a bit crowded sometimes. You might see a whale, an eagle, a porpoise, swans. I saw a woodpecker in the final half mile.

The finish line changed a bit this year, and is now down on the beach by the amphitheater. There were fires at the finish line, wood fired pizza, ale and soda, and it was all great.

My time was 4:08, which is slow, but I'm seeing modest improvements in my running.  I managed to avoid rolling my ankle, which was huge for me.

Its been snowing this week, and sometimes windy, but the weather turned out great for the event. 40 degrees or so, little wind.

Great to see James, Kevin, Terry and others. A good Sunday, all around, at least until I got home and saw the Seahawks score.