I joined Mark for a full run of a loop of Blackfoot today. We found a much easier & faster way to reach the park so we were in much better spirits when we set out. The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day. Mark was glad he went back for a second look. He changed his mind & he will be running the Blackfoot 50k too.
Not all the snow had melted yet. I wasn’t sure it would be like so that’s why you see me in all black and capri pants. It was bloody hot! Mark was better dressed but he still overheated.
Once or twice I got caught in the mud that felt like quicksand. Mark nearly lost his footing when he sunk down in a huge patch of ice cold water. By the end of the run we were intentionally running through puddles to cool down.
I took every opportunity to stop and pose for a photo. There was one section (okay more than one) around the 12k mark that took my breath away. Up and down. Up and down. Repeat. I’m catching my breath with my hands on my knees. It got better.
Great day! We were on the route for about 4 hours. We took a wrong turn and added a couple kilometres to our route. All in all it was great. Don’t get me wrong, this is going to be CHALLENGING. I felt fine running/hiking one loop. But in three weeks I will be running 2 loops. Pray for me!