The Feronia Frolic (11/08/08)

This is what trail running is about, for me.

Our TrailDawg pals Phat Phil and Paulus Treemarkus (aka Phil Nissen and Pawl Melzer) put on a first class fat-ass event at Fair Hill State Park over in MD. I rolled out of bed listening to the rain tapping on the siding, made a pot of coffee, read the paper, and realized -- just in time -- holy hell, the race starts in 30 minutes! So, a 15 minute drive to Fair Hill and I arrive at the start in my slippers -- and, with a quick change, I am ready to run!

What a nice day for a run. Sure, it was drizzly, but who cares? The temperatures were really pleasant (60-ish). The fall colors were fantastic, brilliant in places, with shimmering golden leaves laying next to some of the maples looking like a shadow of sunlight. And, Phil and Pawl had picked out for us a primo assortment of trails.

There was a decent crowd, maybe 40? It included most of the Dawg regulars, some of the Newark area fast guys, and s good number of RASAC folks from the other side of the Susquehanna. I ran a lot of the race with some really nice people, which made it especially fun - Curt, who works down the hall from me -- Laurie and Chris (and Laurie's dawg), down from PA -- and RASAC folks Steve, Steve, and Cath from over in Harford County. There were plenty of route-finding adventures, as it appears mischievous hikers, bikers, or hooligans removed some of the key trail marks for turns. Phil and Pawl threw in a section were clues were needed to find the way, as well as ample shiggy running and a couple of log-crossings over creeks and ravines. We ended up with almost 19 miles and four hours worth of cardio by the time we finished!

Best of all, socializing with fellow Dawgs and chowing down on the excellent Roman bread and lentil and barley stew at the finish.

Thanks a lot you guys for a great day!