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Pictures from the Rocket Dog Ankle Biter! |
Ron Sexton and I ran the Rocket Dog Ankle Biter 10Km Trail Run at Island Lake State Recreation Area near Brighton today. We'd been running the course most Tuesday nights for the past several weeks in training.
The course ran over the six-mile Yellow single track mountain bike trail in the park. A mixture of hills and flats, the course was in excellent shape - much better than last year's race over fallen trees, slippery wooden bridges, and puddles.
Neither Ron or I set PR's (I blame last night's Team NordicSkiRacer Celebration Party), but the weather and camaraderie was great. I tried to start out very slow, but started sprinting past small groups at the end of the first mile. Between miles 3 and 4 is a flat section where I slowed way down and had my longest split. For some reason I have problems keeping pace in the flats. When I noticed my heart rate was down, I started increasing my cadence. Pick up the knees, Muha! Back in the hills and the twisty portions of the trail, I was able to hold off most of the comers...
The race has a unique set of awards that you won't find in any other race (see the photos!)
The Rocket Dog Ankle Biter is the third race in the Triple Challenge Series. The other two races in the series were the "All Thrills, No Frills 5 Mile Trail Run" out at Pinckey Recreation Area at Huron Meadows Metropark and the "Road Ends 5 Mile Trail Run" out at Pinckney Recreation Area , both in April.
Some additional trail runs coming up in southern Michigan::
Sat June 11: Flirt with Dirt 5 & 10K Trail Run (North Novi Park - Novi Tree Farm)
Sat Aug 6: The Legend 5 & 10 Mile Trail Run at Sleepy Hollow (North of Lansing)