Trail Monster Running

Visit the official TRAIL MONSTER RUNNING website for information on upcoming group runs, local trails, trail races and more, including the Pineland Farms Trail Running Festival and the Bradbury Mountain trail Running Series.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Bradbury Double

Emma and I returned to Bradbury this morning for our second run of the weekend. Saturday's run left us with enough that we felt pretty good about attempting 10 miles and I wanted to check out some of the trails that we skipped the day before.

We started out on the Northern Loop Trail which had received plenty of snowmobile traffic and was in great shape for running, better than any of the trails we were on yesterday. When we branched off onto the Tote Road Trail we found ourselves on the trail less traveled and really had to work hard for the next mile up to the summit of Bradbury Mountain. The view from the top was well worth the effort and we paused for a moment to soak in the sun and enjoy the view. This was one of the clearest days I can remember on the summit, we could see out to Casco Bay and I think I could make out Moshier Island off the coast of Freeport.

For the descent we took the Northern Loop and Ski Trails which allowed us to clock a good fast mile, then across the road onto the Knight Woods Trail and back into more difficult terrain. From there we came out onto the Snowmobile Trail which was well traveled and provided a more consistent running surface. The hills and varied terrain meant that our mile splits were all over the place from 8:57 to 10:27, but the effort felt pretty consistent throughout.

Emma remarked how great it was to see so many people using the park and the trails that lead out of it. During this run we came across snowshoers, skiers, walkers (with crampons), children, dogs, snowmobilers, and even mountain bikers. The warmer temps (23 average during our run) really seemed to bring people out of the woodwork, it was another great day for winter running.

time: 1:36:45
distance: 10.24
pace: 9:27
heart rate: 146/170

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