Fall 50

Running in the crisp fall air over a blanket of rust-colored leaves while the cool sunlight filters through golden trees. You can't beat that.

Five of us headed north to the Fall 50 in Door County. It was a 10-part relay covering 50 miles from the tip of the peninsula down to Sturgeon Bay. I did legs five and ten. The first was 4.8 miles, the second was 4.6. It was a bit hilly and a bit chilly, but I felt great, and broke 40 minutes for both runs.

It was a fun, interesting race. We had to shuttle runners to each exchange point, stopping to cheer our runner on the way. Then the next runner had to be in place to accept the "baton" (really a glorified snap bracelet). The whole affair took us seven and a half hours, but time went quickly. It all ended with a party complete with pizza and beer under a heated tent. Wisconsin runners know how to do it.

The drive there and back was long and not good for sore muscles, but the weekend was a blast, as was reconnecting with old teammates from high school cross country.

--MM