Tag Archives: Trail Running

Plum Creek Greenway Trail

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After attending the reopening ceremony at Goodenow Grove in Crete, IL and getting a peak at the new Plum Creek Greenway Trail, we were very anxious to go back to run the entire trail.  Since my young partners are in the midst of a very successful Cross Country season, I didn’t want them to run the out and back (3.08 miles each way) so enlisted Hubby’s help to drop us at the far end, near the turnaround.  This way we could run the full length without having to double the mileage with a return trip.  Here is the map of Goodenow Grove, the Plum Creek Greenway Trail is marked in orange.

Goodenow Grove Map_2012The northeastern portion of the trail crosses Bemes Road about a quarter mile from the actual turnaround, it was very easy for hubby to drop us at that point.  As with most new trails, it does great things for the community and I noticed that Bemes Road now has shiny new asphalt which is a major change from the bumpy, rough, mess of potholes it was a year ago and is well marked in regards to the terrain and the approaching trail.  It was super easy to find!

There is no parking at the trail crossing at Bemes Road and it is very rural with most of the traffic being residential.  We basically just jumped out of the car and took off running while hubby & Michael went to the other end to wait for us at the trailhead parking lot on Goodenow Road.  I think he said it took him about 6 minutes to drive to the other end, going the back way, very slowly on our country roads.

Since trail running is an adventure for us, we did run the quarter mile up to the turnaround to officially begin our journey.  And yes, it was a journey.  The girls were squealing with delight almost immediately and were constantly remarking about the “pure awesomeness” of the trail.  To be honest, although I have ran many a trail in my run life, I too was very excited.  The weather was absolutely perfect, with a bit of chill in the air, a light misty rain which managed to stop just as we hit the trail and beauty everywhere we looked.  There were lots of bridges too and I love bridges!

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 Goodenow Grove_kids bridge_9-21-12         

Twists and turns to keep things interesting:

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The trail was well marked and there was never really a question as to which way we should go, we just followed the gravel.  Once in the main section of the park, there are a few shorter paved trails but its quite obviously that those trails are not part of the Plum Creek Greenway Trail.

We saw bathrooms at 3 locations along the route, the first at the campground, the second by the Plum Creek Nature Center, and the last one was at the last curve heading into the straight away toward the parking area at Goodenow Road.  Although we could see all of these bathrooms, they were not right on trail and would require a short walk/jog to reach them.

The trail is still soft and will be much easier to maneuver as it gets packed down.  We definitely took home kicked up some minute crushed gravel pieces.  There was also evidence of recent horse traffic left behind in the gravel.  Since the gravel isn’t packed tightly at this point, the horse did leave some decent divots that we had to avoid but overall it was an amazing run and we look forward to returning.  Here is the straightaway to the Goodenow Road parking area:

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Sara, Aby and I running out of the woods:   Goodenow Grove_coming out of woods_9-21-12

Great trail, definitely worth making the trip to Crete, IL to enjoy this newest running/biking trail.  Hope to see you out there!

** Happy Trail Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Breaking New Trails – Goodenow Grove

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I love finding new trails to run.  One of the ways to keep running fresh, exciting and NOT let it feel like a job is to frequently change things up.   Running a new trail is an adventure.  When I take the kids, they think we are exploring and they are right!  We are exploring!  So if your run routine has become stagnant, go somewhere new to run this weekend.  Yes, you may need to step out of your comfort zone get into your car and drive there but it will be worth it!  Go, explore!

This last weekend, the kids and I went exploring at Goodenow Grove in Crete, IL.  This Will County Forest Preserve has been closed for an entire year as they revamped the nature center and cut new trails.  The main attraction for the kids is always the massive hill that they can run and/or roll up and down. 

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The main attraction for the runner in me was the new Plum Creek Greenway Trail.

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This new trail begins on Goodenow Road, just west of the Dutton Road access and is 3.06 miles in length (one way) as it weaves thru the Grove and ends just north of Bemes Road.   The new trail is crushed limestone and very soft at this point since it hasn’t yet had the weather and traffic to pack it down.  The kids and I absolutely LOVED this trail. 

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I couldn’t even keep up with the kids as they excitedly raced ahead to see what was beyond the “next” curve.  I was constantly calling them back and stressing, particularly to Aby and her friend Sara, that they had already ran hard that day at a local Cross Country Invite and they needed to walk.  They didn’t care or listen, just kept running.  Begging me to go further. 

Aby, Sara & Michael at one point running back to me.  Yes, Aby even runs in flip flops.  And Michael runs everywhere particularly when he has the opportunity to chase pretty girls.

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I think its a sign of a good trail when you can’t get the kids to go back to the car.  The terrain was soft, had lots of open area with wild grasses and flowers, shaded wooded areas, lots of curves and a few hills to give it variety.  There were also spots not too far off trail in the main section, near the Nature Center where water and bathrooms were available. 

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I think I’ll be heading back this weekend to run the entire length of the trail with the girls.   I’m anxious to cover the entirety of the trail and the girls begged me to take them back.  I’ll have a more in depth post with a map since I lost mine soon but I just wanted to put this new trail on your radar because who doesn’t want to try a cool new trail that is close to home? 

Where are you running this weekend?

** Happy Trail Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Spring Fever…

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This kids are so close to getting out of school and are anxiously awaiting summer vacation.  Our toddlers are freaking out want to be outside non-stop.  We are trying to close out the school sport seasons with the kids, figure out how to keep them occupied this summer and in the interim running our asses off a lot to get in as many miles as possible while the weather is still nice before it turns HOT.  I must say when I parked at the Grainery last night and my thermometer showed temps in the 50’s, I was a very happy camper.  That 40-55 degree range is perfect for me and that is why the spring/fall running weather is the best.  Crisp, cool, zero humidity.  Win!

I have also been obsessed in the mood to run the long way around the pond these days.  I don’t care for the little curves just east of the Grainery, so have been running around the pond when I am solo.  It adds a little distance but makes up for that in beauty, tranquility and less crazy curves. 

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Did I mention that it was tranquil?  I feel so fortunate to live close to nice trails that are safe and well maintained.  Road running can be stressful and dangerous but if you hit the trail, although you still need to vigilant, you get a bit of peace/tranquility and it’s safe for the most part.  At least you don’t need to worry about a car running you down, right?

I run Old Plank a lot due to it’s length and vicinity to my house.  I consider it my “home” trail.  Do you have a home trail?  Which one?  I’m always up for a road trip to run somewhere new.  Tell me about your trail!

Happy  Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Swallow Cliff Adventure…

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It is no secret that I love to explore new to me trails!  I have been meaning to get out to run Swallow Cliff for a while but it isn’t exactly in my back yard, nor did I know much about the trails there other than the fact that they were somewhat technical in spots and there were the nasty stairs left from the old toboggan runs that people flock to daily to torture themselves get some exercise.  Hello Swallow Cliff Stairs!

I must say, I was impressed.  I was impressed in a way that only people who are in love with crazy feats of fitness could understand.  The above photo was taken a little before 9 am and the stairs were already busy but nothing like the chaos I saw when I returned at 10:30am and the parking lot was full and the stairs were packed.  Wow!  I, of course, had to make a trip up these babies or the adventure would not have been complete.

I know this is a crappy photo but the stairs are so steep I couldn’t get a full picture of “the down” because I didn’t want to fall to my death the stairs just drop off.  I only made one trip up  after my run but most people come to this spot for the stairs alone and they are there to workout and make multiple trips.  At the top of the stairs is wall and there are numerous rock piles where people pile pebbles to keep track of the number of trips they have made up.  Old fashion lap counter?  Smart!  Many of those rock piles had 10 or 12+ pebbles.   Amazing!

My plan was to run the yellow trail today.  Photo of Yellow Trail below is off one of those “You are Here” signs, which I totally love.  I like knowing my progress on the loop!

I knew the yellow loop was approximately 8 miles in length and that’s about what I like to run on Sundays.  I also don’t mind the more technical trails for a Sunday run because I really take my time, I love to stop for a billion photos and just meander along in a very unhurried fashion.

I must say that I’ve run a “few” trails in my day and this was the most unassuming trailhead I’ve ever encountered.

No sign, no movement in that direction, just a bit of disturbed and trampled grass to indicate foot traffic.  As soon as I got thru those trees though, it was obvious that I was on a trail, I just had no idea which one but I came to run so I ran.

 It didn’t take long before I saw a trail sign and knew I was on the right trail!

The trail was very easy to follow, beautiful and well shaded with lots of old growth and foliage.  This is definitely a great trail that I will return to in the future.  It is in Palos, IL and only took me about 30 minutes to get there from “the country”.  There are several access points but I went to the one by the stairs.  Next time I will access on LaGrange, south of Rt 83 at the South Swallow Cliff access point.  Closer for me.  I would highly recommend heading to Palos to run Swallow Cliff; it is absolutely worth the trip!

The yellow loop was mostly dirt or crushed gravel, a few technical spots, a few nasty hills but mostly just a nice run thru the woods.  I was concerned that I would need trail shoes, and I don’t own a pair at the moment, but I was fine in my road shoes.  My only complaint is that there was quite a bit of evidence of equestrian traffic on the trail.  Although I only saw a few horses, I saw and ran around alot of horse manure.  Not ideal but certainly not a deal breaker either.

There was only one place where I even had a question as to which way to turn.  Most intersections on the trail had a marker depicting which trails went which way and I just kept following the yellow arrow.  However, the trail had some flooding issues earlier in the year and was actually closed around Rt 45.  It is now open and has a fresh trail & grass but all of the markers haven’t been replaced.

When I went under the bridge, then up the hill on the other side, there was an intersection.  Right or left?  I went right for about 10 steps, saw a trail sign for the green trail, turned around, passed the intersection again and in another 10 steps saw a trail sign indicating the yellow trail.  Not a big deal and my confusion was quickly resolved.  I anticipate it not being an issue next time as they will soon replace the sign upon completion of the construction.  This was the only spot where I questioned my direction other than when I first entered the trail during the trip.

Here is one of the nasty hills that was straight on and I could photograph.  I tried to get a photo of one hill but it was curved, blind, very dangerous and I’m not really sure how people get down it without crashing.  If it were remotely slippery out, I don’t think I would have made it down without taking a tumble!

Thumbs up for Swallow Cliff!  If you like to explore new (or old) trails, I’d highly recommend taking the trip to Swallow Cliff.  If you just like to buzz your run as fast as possible, then go ahead and just run your normal route, this isn’t a good speed run for multiple reasons.

Have your ran any new trails lately?  Where is your favorite trail?

Happy Running,                                                                                                                          Amanda – TooTallFritz

Schubert & Sauk Trail Woods Group Run

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This morning as I got up to thunder and lightening terrifying my dogs lil man, I was thinking, “Wow, nobody is going to show!” However, the rains soon stopped and we had a nice group show to run Schubert Woods. We parked at the Chestnut Street entrance and invaded the Park Forest Running & Pancake Club’s turf. Fortunately, I used to be a Pancaker and know many of them and they are all very cool and welcoming. I knew they would be happy to have more people “running their turf” rather than feel violated like we were taking over. Today’s Schubert Crew from left: Kim, Lori, Aby (my 10 year old), Aurelia, Brian, Kevin, Matt, Wayne & Mark B (also a former Pancaker who was gracious enough to come and run hard with our F’N men).

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As I have mentioned before, I am really excited about this trail, just shocked that it is so underutilized. It is easily one of the most beautiful trails we have in the area and I feel “qualified” to make that statement as I have been running on the Southside of Chicago since circa 2004 and have covered a “few” miles in that time. My favorite things about this trail include: the foliage that shades you from the sun and gives houses a variety of visible creatures, the constant turns and small rolling hills, and the fact that the trail is newly resurfaced and without ruts or holes which some of the more popular trails have due to so much use. This trail also has a nice sized lake, which you can see at several points, and a few old bridges which I really love.

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All in all, if you can make the trip to Park Forest to run Schubert & Sauk Trail Woods, it’s worth the trip. You won’t be sorry and you will probably see me and a few Pancakers on the trail if you go on a Sunday morning around 8am. Today, Pancaker Alexis joined us, but was too quick to catch on film, plus we saw Ray & Margaret on the trail. I’m sure others, who we missed, were also floating around in the woods. It was nice to see the trail was alive and bustling with activity…….just as it should be.

See YOU on the Trail,
Amanda – TooTallFritz

Taking Back Schubert & Sauk Trail Woods

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I know that the Schubert & Sauk Trail woods have a poor reputation due to circumstances beyond their control.  But I have now ran the area 2x and I am telling you it is not only a safe area but also one of the best trails we have in this area.  I was amazed today with the beauty and old world feel of this trail.  There are old bridges made of stone and railings of iron that we just don’t see on our normal trail runs.  This trail is one to be seen and enjoyed by the public.

I have started both times at the spur that begins on Chestnut Street, off of Western Ave just north of Sauk Trail, since that is where the Pancakers begin on Sunday mornings.

I love that I get to conquer a nice hill as soon as I get out of the car!

Each time out, although I fail to arrive on time, I have seen a few Pancakers on the trail and my new friend Alexis.  I saw her in the distance today and had to run a few tangents, and speed up to a pace much faster than I “wanted” to run to get close enough to shout her name.  But it was worth it, we talked and ran a short bit together before she had to turn off toward home.  She did kindly oblige my photo request before we parted.  Thanks, Alexis!  Good to see you again!

After Alexis dropped me headed for home,  I slowed down to a more leisurely pace and grabbed some photos that I didn’t have the opportunity to take last time.   These are all from “The Shoot”, the spur that crosses Sauk Trail at Ashland, runs southwest for 1.5 miles, then makes a u-turn at Steger Road & Western for a return to the loop.

Love the moss on the trail!

The noisiest creature on the trail.

Second noisiest creature.

Back on the main loop, which is 4 miles in distance, I saw lots of runners & walkers out enjoying the day!  Here is a pic of Sauk Trail Lake from the trail.

Cute little stone bridge over a stream.

Today was a very peaceful run and I really enjoyed it.  Although, I enjoy these quiet trails with low traffic, I really feel as if this trail is under utilized due to its reputation.  The trail is safe.  It’s beautiful.  It’s the perfect length with both a 7 and/or 4 mile option.  Let’s run this trail together!  I’m going to set up an event thru Facebook for next Sunday, April 15th, 7:45 am to run Schubert & Sauk Trail Woods as a group.  Let’s take this trail back and enjoy some of our tax dollars!  If you don’t get a FB invite (because we aren’t friends), then please feel free to show up at the Chestnut entrance to the Thorn Creek Bicycle Trail (south), in Park Forest at 7:45 to join us for a run.  If you can’t run, then bring a bike, it’s worth the trip!

See you next Sunday!

Happy Running,                                                                                                      Amanda – TooTallFritz

Good Friday Waterfall Glen Run {2012}

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What a beautiful day to hit the trail and meet some new people.  In fact, we had so many newbies show, I can’t even remember everyone’s name!  That is a huge success in my book.  Thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to come run with us this morning!  It is much appreciated and I hope to see all of you again!  The morning crew, courtesy of Maggie – MagMileRunner, from back left:  Kathy, Wayne, Joe, Christy, Fredric, Mark, Eric, Jim, Brian, Lonna, Cathie & Amanda W.  Front left:  Maggie, Me, Kim, Susan, Keith, Missing a few names:  girl in blue, girl in black, girl in pink, Angela.

I apologize on the missing names, if anyone can fill in the blanks, I will make the edit.  Sorry!!!

In addition to the sunshine, we also had temps in the 40s, and the woods were alive with springtime noises, scents and active critters although I didn’t actually see anything of significance.  Here are a “few” photos of the day.

I think we all had a great run.  Our paces were far and wide but we all made it back in with a smile on our faces.  I really love this trail.  It’s not too technical but is a nice jaunt thru the woods.  There are a few hills but nothing too taxing and the scenery is totally worth the short drive.

Thanks again to everyone who made the trip. Next “official” Waterfall Glen trip will be on Black Friday.  Plenty of time to plan for that one, right?

Enjoy your race season, folks.  I’ll see you on the trail or on the road.  Get after it this year, who knows what next year will bring!

Happy Running,                                                                                                              Amanda – TooTallFritz

On the Road Again….

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I was on the road again this weekend with the kiddos to go see Grandma & Grandpa TooTall and make a visit to a local indoor water park!  I managed to squeeze in a quick 6 miler before the festivities began.  When I’m up at the lake, it’s mostly road running.  I picked a route with a few hills since I was going short.

Then I was barely back in the house and the kids were dressed and ready for their adventure at the water park!  We went to Splash Universe in Shipshewana, IN.  The area is really known for its flea market and Amish shops but in order to accommodate the large number of visitors to Amish Country, the town had to build up a bit with restaurants and hotels.  This is one of the “fun” hotels that has an indoor water park and since it’s about 20 minutes from the lake, we try to go once in the winter so the kids can have some fun in the water and enjoy the 80 degree temps. 

See those slides in the middle?  Michael LOVED those things, probably went down them several hundred times, if not more.  Grammie would stand at the top to help police the little ones from piling down on top of each other and I was at the bottom to move Michael along so he didn’t get crushed by the next one coming down.  And then he would walk back to the top and do that again, and again, and again, and AGAIN.

Then this morning, I needed to go out for a longer run since I didn’t do it yesterday.  I wasn’t feeling it at all.  I really needed to run 12 but I could barely talk myself into leaving the house so I was pretty sure that wouldn’t happen.  Then once I did get out the door, I couldn’t get my Nike+ GPS Sportwatch to link up.  Apparently, it was tired too.  I waited & waited & waited then basically took off running figuring that’s why I had the sensor for moments just like this.  So I ran.

I made it about a mile before ducking into a seasonal campground.  I expected it to be deserted and wanted to see if there were any trails remaining from when we used to snowmobile there during my childhood.   We used to spend a lot of time in this location in the winter months as this was home base for a local snowmobile club that would snowmobile all over the lakes  and then return to this campground to warm up in one of the buildings where they would have coffee, hot chocolate and food.  However, that was when we used to get lots of snow in the winter. I can’t imagine that snowmobile club exists anymore, and I’m quite certain that most of the members of that snowmobile club are long gone like my grandparents.  So today was a trip down memory lane and like all good memories, the current reality never measures up.  I did find one old trail down by the lake but it was very overgrown almost to the point of being impassable.  I didn’t make it far before giving up and turning back. 

After giving up on “trail” running, I just circled the roads in the campground.  Half of the roads were pancake flat and the other half were very hilly.  So it was a good mix and I definitely got in some nice slow miles that were challenging.  I ended up with approximately 10.5 miles today but they were very slow.

So good weekend, lots of fun, a few run miles and lots of drive miles.

What did you do this weekend?

Happy Running,                                                                                                       Amanda – TooTallFritz

Gloomy Runday……

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I live work in a high-rise building in downtown Chicago.  I  normally arrive in the dark early  morning and leave mid afternoon. It’s unusual that I leave the building during the day for “lunch” and in this office space, I no longer have a personal office, nor do I have access to a window unless I specifically seek one out.  So when I plan to run after work, I do so without regard to the weather.  And generally speaking,  my life really doesn’t have many time allowances to reschedule runs/workouts anyhow, so the weather is hardly a factor in my decision to run or not run.

So yesterday afternoon, as I was watching the running related facebook pages working, I started to notice my Wednesday night runners begin to drop like flies.  We normally have a pretty solid core group that shows up to run with the F’N Running Club, but yesterday we were a little light.  My run friends had awesome alibis.  Brain P was packing for Ireland.  Yeah right, like men actually pack their own bags?  HaHaHaHa…..ok, maybe some men.  Melissa EM was getting a massage?  Hmmmmm, yeah, me too.  I want a massage.  Can I join you?  Jenni H & Meg couldn’t come cuz hubby wasn’t home to help with the little ones.  Okay, that one “might” have been legit but it was ironic that once I stepped outside the fluorescent lights I realized the weather was super crappy less than ideal. It looked something like this (not my photo but couldn’t get the source).

By the time I drove all the way back to the Burbs in a cold, drizzly rain, even I didn’t really want to run and was wondering if it was too late to get in with Melissa for a massage.  But alas, I hauled myself out of my car and just started running because although it was cold and wet, I knew that I REALLY did want to be out there putting in some miles.  The gloominess was actually peaceful.  There was a bit of ice and snow left on Old Plank east of Frankfort and the wildlife was out thinking they had the world all to themselves.   I saw several white tail deer, rabbits, birds, squirrels and other small animals.  It was as close to a real trail run as I’ve had for quite a while.  Quiet.  Peaceful.  Majestic.

And since I wasn’t the only one who wanted to run, we still had a nice group of F’N Runners.  Top from left:  CrazyBoyDon, Diane & Maggie – MagMileRunner.  Bottom from left:  Dawn, Cathie, Susan & Me.  Brian F was nice enough to take this photo.  Thanks, Brian!

Another great run!  Thanks to those of you who came out because I am not sure I would have been strong enough to go by myself if we hadn’t planned to meet up as a group.  It was just one of those days where you start out and you just aren’t feeling it but as always, I think we were all happy as we were driving home. 

A special shout out goes to Don for coming out in the rain.  His schedule usually doesn’t allow him to make an appearance on weeknights and it was great to see him, although he did push our pace a bit.  CrazyBoy is getting strong….P-90X, maybe?  Gotta check that out! 

Happy Running!                                                                                                              Amanda – TooTallFritz

Team (You Just Got) Chicked – Ragnar 2012

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Today was the first “team” meeting for our 2012 Ragnar (Ultra) Team (You Just Got) Chicked.  We are running the Madison, WI to Chicago edition of the race and let it suffice to say that we are SLIGHTLY excited.  We have already secured Aspaeris Pivot Shorts, GU Energy & BondiBands as sponsors and the biggest  hurdle to date was “the” meeting.  As with any situation where you are meeting new and important people, I mean does it get more important than 5 women you will share a van with while running a combined 200 miles, the first meeting is always a mystery.  Will I like them, will they like me, can we share a van and not kill each other?  So I was excited but also tentative about the meeting.  However, it didn’t take us any time at all to introduce ourselves and begin bonding.  I already love these crazy bitches ladies.  From left:  Me, Kate, Lara (up), Julie, Tara & Jess – Run with Jess.I know you will be shocked but we decided our first meet-up would start with a nice 10 miler.  Jess picked the I&M Canal Trail as a half way point and it was both easy to get to and a beautiful trail to run.  I absolutely LOVE running new trails so that was a perfect day for me in many regards:  new friends, running a new trail, then a yummy lunch!

Since our meeting spot was one stop shy of the very west end of the trail, we ran east for 5, then turned back into the wind for a rough return.  The trail was crushed limestone, frozen and rough on the feet but the wind was ferocious and made the 10 feel like 15.  However, the scenery was beautiful.

And my teammates didn’t seem to mind my constant requests for pics so I totally took advantage of the situation. 

Jess and I with matching shoes. 

It was a really great day and I can honestly say that I had a great time and feel as if I actually had time to get to know a little bit about my teammates.  We were also on a super secret mission from Aspaeris Pivot Shorts and although I feel like we may have failed them, we gave it a honest effort considering the freezing temps and high winds.

Thanks for a great day, ladies!  I can’t wait to get to know all of you even better and run a kick ass relay with all of you.

Would you ever consider a relay event like Ragnar or Hood to Coast?  Or have you already participated in something like this?  If so, give us some pointers!

Til We Meet Again Team Chicked,                                                                             Amanda – TooTallFritz