Frosty Sunrise

What a great morning - 16 degrees so everything was frozen, and a dusting of snow to cushion the trail - what more could a guy ask for! Except maybe someone to share it with? Well, Dennis Rathke showed up this morning and we just basked in the glory of the conditions. We even did a little adventure run and broke some new trail... One section we had to cross a stream, and got wet feet, but no worries, as long as you keep running and they stay warm! A little over 11 miles. Now I am ready to start my day!

Braving the Elements

How cool is it when you can get out and enjoy the outdoors when nobody else will? Today was that day for me - 33 degrees and steady rain. Today was not about miles, or heart rate, or time - it was about beating the elements. I chose a mid-weight base layer, lycra tights, a gore-tex shell, and of course a KC Trail Nerd cap. I did one lap a Sac River Trail, and by the end of the loop I was soaked, but warm and my feet would get cold every time they were submersed in water but would warm up after about 20 steps. I knew I could do another lap - so at that moment I knew I had succeeded! So I got in the truck and went home to a warm shower and breakfast.

Cold Weather Runs

You gotta love cold weather runs - get a few layers on, not too many though - it's all about putting on as few as possible, but as many as necessary to stay warm. If you are cold when you start, and cold after you stop for a few minutes, you probably have the right layers.

Mentally, they give you the feeling of having 'beat the elements'. You go home, tired, a little cold, and then get in a hot bath with a cup of hot tea - it's like heaven!

Bottom line is that the weather does not stop a trail nerd. Rain, shine, cold, humid, snow, or sleet or even ice. Check this site out: http://www.shoeicecleats.com/

Trail Nerds Take Over the Ozarks!

The insurgency was short and sweet. The KC Trail Nerds have always talked about conquering the world. They thought they were invincible. But deep in the back of their mind, they always wondered 'what if we fail?' So they came up with a plan. Let's start small. REALLY small. Let's first entrench ourselves in SW Missouri. Maybe if we could do that, then we might be able to develop a beach head and then, say, take on NW Arkansas.

So as we wind down the year, with short days, and turkey and dressing on the mind, a local trail runner Bruce 'The Juice' has already planted a seed. The goal is to develop a series of runs through the winter of '07 / '08 that will become a gathering spot for all other 'nerds' who currently have no other way to associate with people, except to run trails with them.

Stay tuned for upcoming runs and events. And check out: http://kctrailnerds.blogspot.com/