Running with Scissors Training Run

I woke up this morning and drove over to Kendall Lake to meet some people at 8am for a 26 mile trail run. Roy Heger (2nd from left in photo) organized this training run, which was intended to familarize everyone with the course of his "Running with Scissors" run which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 26th and will include a double marathon & 60K option. Click here for more details.

When I arrived at Kendall Lake I noticed there weren't any cars in the parking lot. I thought this was strange since the details for today's run said to meet at the Kendall Shelter, which is located next to Kendall Lake. So, I decided to drive back up Truxell Rd. and check out the Octogon Shelter and the Ledges Shelter. As I pulled into the parking lot near the Ledges Shelter I noticed runners getting ready so I knew I was now in the right place. After everyone introduced themselves and chatted for awhile, we were off and running.

The temperature this morning was very unseasonal in the upper 30's. I wore a light long sleeved top which proved to be warm enough in the early morning but light enough to not get too hot later in the day. The run starts off heading down Truxell Rd. to Kendall Lake. At the entrance to Kendall Lake you turn left and run the trail all the way around the lake to some trails that continue over to the Kendall Hills area.

Heading to Kendall Hills (notice the frost)

Hills are fun!

Is Kathleen laughing at Roy getting tired?

Once you reach the top of the "Sound of Music" hill, you then turn left and head through "Little Meadow". At this point it was beginning to turn into a really nice fall day with the sunshine providing beautiful rays of light. Everyone agreed that it doesn't get much better than this.

After crossing Quick Rd. we hopped onto some bridal trails that I haven't run on much. These trails then led us over to the dreaded Towpath where we did about 4-5 miles. Even though it's better than roads, I don't enjoy running on this hard, flat surface much. This is a nice section of the Towpath however, with some scenic views.

Lots of turtles as we neared the Boston Store (I counted at least 10)

After stopping at the Boston Store we then got onto the Buckeye Trail and ran it to Pine Lane. From Pine Lane we only had another 6 miles to our cars. We ran some trails that went past the Brandywine Golf Course, over to Kendall Lake, and then back to the ledges area.

Kendall Lake

Just before we reached our cars we passed a group of people with a cat walking next to them. Tanya asked if it belonged to them and they said no. I guess someone must have dumped it off in the woods. So she picked up the cat (now known as "Scissors") and carried it with her to take home. When we got back to our cars Scissors decided to run underneath Tanya's car, jump up into the engine, and get stuck. That was pretty funny. Luckily Mark saved the day and rescued it before an auto mechanic was needed.

Overall, it was a great fall day spent with a great group of people. I was happy to complete the entire loop and increase my mileage base, but I'm not sure how another 26 mile loop would've felt. Roy's race (which has a 12 hour cutoff) at the end of the month should be a pretty tough challenge for those participating... but a lot of fun!