Tales from the Trails: A Story of Mud, Rain, and Muscle Fatigue
Monday, July 12, 2010 at 9:48PM This past Saturday evening, I traveled to Baton Rouge with a friend to run a 4k race. Little did I know, it was a trail run (my first!), and it was going to rain—the entire time. Little did I also know how much fun it would be.
Varsity Sports, a new running/athletic store in New Orleans, was celebrating its tenth anniversary in Baton Rouge with a 4k (2.485 mile) run at the LSU Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge. You're probably thinking, Why the Rural Life Museum? Boring! But you're wrong.
The museum, housed on several hidden acres of quiet farmland adjacent to I-10, is quaint and beautiful. Personally, I'm kind of obsessed with living on a farm, because I'm drawn to the idea of raising baby animals and eating baby vegetables and making jam and biscuits and running through fields of tall, tall corn. You can stop laughing now.
So, back to the run. We headed out in light rain, shoes already a bit muddy, and found ourselves on a winding trail that took us through the woods on the Rural Life Museum's campus. It was incredibly fun to dodge slippery, muddy spots on the grass- and gravel-paved trail. At the finish of the race, I was greeted by a loud mooooo from a longhorn steer, which was really neat. What other races offer cows to cheer you on at the end of a run? We didn't stick around too long, since our clothes were soaked and we were covered in mud.
Are those my ankles or my wrists? Ha. Either way, these are my shoes after the race. I guess you can't really tell how dirty they are from this photo, but my relatively new shoes were pristine before Saturday's run. My Nike+ sensor in particular is covered with quite a bit of rural slop. If you're a shoe nerd, you may have also noticed that these shoes are for dudes. Whatever. I have wide feet, and it's much easier to buy a standard men's shoe than to find a women's shoe I like in a wide width. Given that piece of information, I scored a pair of men's Brooks shoes just for completing the race. They're light, cushioned, and have accents of copper, which I've never seen before on an athletic shoe. Totally worth the $35 entry fee.
After running three consecutive days last week, two of which were races, I'm enjoying a little time off my feet. Naturally, that means baking cookies, planting marigolds and other summer annuals, and catching up on True Blood. I'm looking forward to test-driving my new shoes tomorrow, rain or shine. Okay, probably just shine, because I already have a pile of muddy clothes, shoes, and accessories calling my name in the laundry room.
Reader Comments (4)
Awesome! I had a great time getting muddy with you! Though, I am a bit disappointed to hear that I was not the cow's favorite. I guess he cheered for everyone!
What a beautiful setting for a run! The cornfields and cows remind me of upstate NY. In fact there's a dairy farm in Bethel, NY, where people ran around in the rain for 3 days in 1969, aka Woodstock. Maybe there is a tiny bit of Flower Child in my child. Ha, Ha! Love, Mom
The cow really did love everyone! I had a great time, too.
Also, Mom, as an FYI, I'm pretty sure Woodstock was not a running event. Maybe you are confusing it with some kind of 3-day ultramarathon in a similar location (dairy farms and all).
And yes, there is flower child in me, as well as a lot of weirdness. Clearly that comes from YOU! Thanks! In all seriousness, though, I have you to thank for my knowledge of various grains and types of sugar when I'm browsing the bulk goods at Whole Foods. Where would I be without my mom?