Sloppy Cuckoo Eve

So I can't remember if I posed this question on blogger or on twitter a while back, but you may or may not recall that I was interested in a nearby trail half marathon this fall...bad news was, it came a week after the Rock n Roll half marathon.

The Rock n Roll half was to be run with the goal of improving my time; the trail half was something I wanted to do just for fun.  Since my goals for the two were very different, I signed up for them both, and that trail half is tomorrow!

It's considered "easy" by trail runner standards so it seemed like a good one to try.  I've heard good things about races put on by this organizer and read a favorable review of last year's race here.

[source]

The organizer seems to have a good sense of humor, which you can see from any of their race descriptions.  "There will be rocks, roots, trees to climb over, creek crossings, horse poop, sand & if it rains the week before the race, certainly some mud. So leave your pink Nikes at home, don’t be a girlieman. "

Here are some fun race features (quoted directly from race application):

• You will be supported by at 5 aid stations (carry a bottle) , including the Oktoberfest aid station (unusual carbs and snacks served by the St. Pauli girls).
• Post race refreshments will be provided by 2 professional chefs (Thekla Grund, former owner of the Old Brauhaus & Linda Weiss, reason #67 why Oprah’s weight is yo-yoing, I did not make this up). 
• "Uberhans” might be there also to entertain you with his accordion. 

•  Not only do you get a tech shirt: "To stay with the cuckoo theme, every finisher will receive a original Black Forest cuckoo whistle as a finisher award."

 [source]

Definitely the most unique run I've signed up for.

Friday the race director sent out an email that the course had to be changed as there was a lot of erosion on the trail along the creek from Irene and the subsequent heavy rainstorms we have had (including the rain we got this week, straight through this morning).

"The trails were in decent condition yesterday, there are still a bunch of trees down, which you should be able to jump over or go under. It's currently raining here so you should be prepared for some muddy and slippery sections on Sunday... If this is your first trail 1/2 on Sunday, you certainly get your moneys worth. It certainly will be a good challenge.

We have some great german awards on sunday. We will also award best outfit/most muddy runner/ and most blood. We have some great food ready for you on Sunday, you might want to bring a folding chair to hang out a little after the race."

Luckily while rain was in the forecast all weekend, it stopped raining this morning and was dry for the rest of the day.  There's a chance of rain for tomorrow...I'm hoping it holds off a little longer.

Tonight we made a veggie pizza on wheat crust.  That, along with some red wine, and an ice cream sundae that we split should have me well-fueled for tomorrow's run.

I am just treating this as a FUN long run.  I have not run a full 13 miles on all (muddy) trail before, and I have no idea how bad the trail will be from the rain, so I have no time goal - just to finish.
 

I am prepared to get very dirty so I will not be wearing my newest or nicest running stuff (actually, the Smart Wool socks are nice...but I don't run in not-nice socks).  I'll be wearing my running shoes from this spring/summer which, while high in mileage, are still comfortable - but I may need to toss them after.


Hoping to not win an award for the most blood.  And hopefully I will return tomorrow with a snazzy finisher's whistle!