Desperation set in last weekend as I participated in The Limberlost Challenge 28 km trail run up in Muskoka. This challenging 14 km loop offers a variety of terrain along pristine lakes, across boardwalks through wetlands and of course there is mud – LOTS OF MUD on that particular day!!
The night prior to the race, heavy thunder showers moved through the area thoroughly soaking the ground. As the race was about to start, the skies opened up again and continued for most of the morning. This created more mud than one could ever imagine! However, the rain became a bit of a blessing for me as I neared the end of the first loop. The problem arose because there were no cups at the aid stations. The organizers encourage you to bring your own water bottles so there is less impact on the environment. I commend this idea, but I just didn’t know about it so I was not prepared. There were multiple streams and lakes which I was tempted to drink from, but decided it was best not to. Then the answer to my thirst came to me! The leaves on the maple trees had rain drops on them. I made sure no one was around then I stopped and licked the droplets off several maple leaves. Aaah, the moisture in my mouth was sooo good. That kept me going until I got back to the start /finish area where there were plenty of cups of fluid to rehydrate with in preparation for the second loop.
I thought back to a previous blog I wrote about swallowing a bug while running, where I offered advice to “always bring plenty of fluids”. I didn’t do that in this case. Anyways, I had a lot of fun and got really dirty in knee deep mud and I would definitely go back and do this race again!
Call Abbott Foot & Ankle Clinic in Collingwood at 705-444-9929 or visit us online to find out how we can help you enhance your trail running experience.