Thursday, March 25, 2010

Rain Today, Sun Tomorrow

Yes, it is raining today.  We may get about half an inch of rain once this is all done.  Fortunately, tomorrow we'll have a nice sunny day.  The trail should soak up most of this rain without any problems.  There will be a few muddy spots, but it won't be a mudfest.  When you get 125 runners going around a 10-mile loop three times, whatever mud we have tends to get magnified.  I still think its going to be great conditions come Saturday morning. I'm excited for all of you runners!

Current Weather Forecast for Saturday:
Low: 30
High: 56
Sky Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Chance of Rain: 4%
Winds: 15 mph from the SE
Race Director Comments:  I'm starting to believe...this might be alright!

It's almost close enough to race day that I trust this forecast.  Almost!  I've been fooled before.  I hope to see a few people at early packet pick-up (Friday, 3-6pm at Body n' Sole Sports).  If you pick up your stuff on Friday, you do NOT need to check-in again on race morning.  Also, on Friday afternoon, I'll have the latest trail conditions report.  I'll see the rest of you on race morning (check-in from 6:00-7:15am).  Race starts at 7:30am on Saturday morning at the Clinton Lake north fork boat access parking lot.  NO EARLY STARTERS--everyone starts at 7:30am.

WARNING ONE:  There are tons of leaves on the trail, so be wary of possible hidden rocks and roots. There aren't many rocks on the course, but there are roots. I haven't had too many problems stumbling over roots in recent training runs. Of course, after 20 miles, you'll start to let your feet drag and you may find a few roots grabbing you. This isn't a road race, so I assume if you signed-up, you are comfortable with basic trail running and the possibility of falling over rocks, roots, or fellow runners. 

WARNING TWO: Even when the weather is good, the wooden bridges can be slick--almost like ice.  Please be careful as you approach and go over the many small wooden bridges.  With the rain today, there will still be a bit of moisture in the air (and ground) on race morning so the bridges could be very slippery. Plus, there could be some frost early Saturday morning.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris, I thought I read on the race webpage that you would provide perfect weather. Looks like you are coming through. Really though, no matter what we appreciate your effort to provide anything and everything we need.

See you soon!

Chris Ⓥ said...

No matter what, it's going to be fun! Can't wait until race morning.