Running with Rudolph Trail 10K

There had been some threatening weather reports over the last couple days, so I packed a lot of different layers to head to Carson city for the Running with Rudolph 10K this morning, part of the Winter Trail Series put on by Ascent Physical Therapy. By the time I got down there, though, it was shaping up to be a beautiful morning. Standing around the start area, my hands were a little cold, but I knew they'd warm up once I started running.





(My Garmin managed to record the whole race this time, so I actually have a course to show you. click through to the Garmin Connect site for elevation profile and stuff.)


The elevation profile:

Basically, the first three miles was up Ash Canyon, and the last three came back down a slightly different route, with another little climb thrown in. I ended up running near people for the whole race - here are some pics of the climb:









After turning at the top, we started to come back down the canyon. Being a bit more protected, there were a few patches of snow, but nothing major.





After a short climb out of the canyon, there were some great views of Carson City:



Trying to follow Shannon there down hills is tough - she's lightning fast on descents. With a quarter mile left, though, we turned onto a paved path, a guy in surf shorts blew by us, and she slowed. I think she still finished first female, though - here's her finishing with second close behind.



After the race, I grabbed a gel and switched to a short sleeve shirt, because I needed to get a few more miles in - my training plan called for twelve today. Abbey, who didn't feel like racing a week after doing the Death Valley Trail Marathon. We took it a little easier on this loop, and even managed to chat a bit.

All in all, a wonderful day, and another great race in the Winter Trail Series. Looking forward to the next one - The Centennial Slug It Out on January 15.