Road Trip!

There will be no Sat AM trail run this week...instead 14 of our bravest warriors will be heading out to Reading, PA on Sunday morning for the 3rd Annual Chilly Cheeks 7.2 Mile Trail Run. We'll meet on Sunday at 7:45AM at the usual spot in Mercer County Park -- the picnic area off of Edinburg Road -- and then carpool out from there. The race starts at 11AM and we have about a 90 minute ride ahead of us so we've built in a little cushion which I'm sure we'll need.

Directions:

We'll make our way out to the PA Tpke and then pick up 422 West towards Pottstown. Getting 422 West off of the PA Tpke can be a bit of a chore, or so I'm told, so stay on your toes if you're driving. From there we'll follow the directions on the race application which are:
"Rt. 422 West from King of Prussia. Just before Reading, 1 block past Arby’s & Burger King, bear right onto Bus. Rt. 422, marked “Mt. Penn”; DON’T follow sign to Reading ** Go 3 miles until road splits at Wachovia Bank. 300 yds later, JUST PAST Arners Restaurant, take right onto Glen Rd (sign missing, look for "Stokesay Castle" sign visible at last moment). At end of Glen, turn right and then take your next right just 50 yards ahead. Or follow the signs to Stokesay, the Liederkrantz driveway is right next to it."

What to bring:

• If you have trail shoes, bring 'em. The course is a mix of snow, ice and mud so you will need as much traction as you can get...especially on the hills which fortunately only make up about 90% of the race.
• A change of warm, dry clothes for after the race. You may even want to bring a second pair of sneakers too or something dry to put on your feet. I would also recommend a dry towel (not one of your good ones though!) to use to de-crud yourself. Think mud run without the belly crawls...but probably a face plant or two.
• A large garbage bag to store your wet, dirty running gear in on the way home.
• Anything else you would normally bring with you to a race (water, gatorade, goo, powerbars, girl scout cookies, beer, cheesesteaks, etc.)
• Your warrior attitude. This race will probably be the most challenging trail run you've ever had. It's a Pretzel City Sports event though so it also promises to be one of the best times you've had in running gear. Remember, you are a warrior. Suck it up and keep going!

Any questions or concerns, email me.