I got in a good 70-minute run at Afton, Saturday. Hopefully I covered about 6 miles; my wayfinding still leaves quite a bit to be desired. It’s always an adventure…

The route I picked, which I thought would cover about 6 miles, ended up taking me just 30 minutes. So, I did it again- in reverse. That loop has a hill that is sometimes referred to as “the Meat Grinder.” I think that’s because it’s a hell of a hill to go up- but its grinding action seemed more severe on the descent. I’ll go up it rather than down it, any day. I had to walk most/part of it going both directions.

The loop has one nice, winding portion of hill-top prairie, as well as a long stretch of shaded riverside flats. The latter part was of course was the more pleasant, but it was made more so by the contrast of the heat, glare, and mind-numbing stridulating of the katydids (I assume? Or cicada?), up with the black-eyed susans and coneflower.

All in all, it was a good run that involved only a little bleeding on one ankle (evidently I’m taking the shuffle tip a little too far). Later in the day I wasn’t as wiped out, as I was last weekend, after my 10-miler.

This run was a test run of my new Atalanta running skirt. Loved it! Zero chafing, and a handy pocket held the Gu I didn’t need. And it even garnered a compliment from a fellow runner or two. My trail shoes, the Asics Gel-2120’s, are still holding up pretty well, though I’m starting to consider a replacement, as the tread is starting to wear down. I logged quite a few miles on pavement, in those, earlier this year.