Thirty minutes of running back and forth on a strip of grass behind Target in Gainsville, VA, while my family dined at Chick-fil-A, en route to the Delaware coast on the first day of our 2.5-week road trip.

Crewed for my brother as he ran the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run, covering the trails of Massanutten Mountain in Virginia’s George Washington National Forest and Shenandoah Valley.

 

From my front door, one mile up Brush Mountain Rd. through my neighborhood before turning onto Forest Service Road P188-2 (which become Horse Nettle Trail), down Snake Root Trail to Poverty Creek Trail (passing by where we ended our family hike the day before), around the pond and back up the other side of Horse Nettle to the forest service road and then to Brush Mountain Rd. and home.  Saw a bear climbing up a tree off of Snake Root Trail.

Short run in Cloudland Canyon State Park (West Rim Loop Trail and Waterfalls Trail) to break up the drive from Blacksburg to New Orleans.

 

62 rugged and scenic miles during the Bandera 100K Endurance Run in Texas hill country (13 hours, 32 minutes).

Seventy miles on the rugged Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail during the 70.5-mile Laurel Highlands Ultra Race.  Beginning in Ohiopyle, PA, the point-to-point race covers the entire trail, ending in Seward, PA (near Johnstown).  With a lingering upper respiratory infection, happy to finish at all (and it took 17 hours and 34 minutes to do so).  Saw a porcupine.

Planned family trip involved my running the Grayson Highlands 50K.  Snowy, whiteout conditions (on the first climb) and a tough course.  And lots of wild ponies.

Several days running the trails in Lake Catherine State Park (Horseshoe Mountain and Waterfall trails), as well as along Highway 171 near my parents’ house (70 miles over 12 days).

“Brush Mountain Breakdown” 7-mile race on the Poverty Creek Trail System in Pandapas Pond Day Use Area, Jefferson National Forest (the course was closer to 6.5 miles). This is more or less my backyard, and the course covered one of the exact routes that I run regularly: From the upper parking lot, Horse Nettle to Snake Root to Poverty Creek, back to the parking lot (56 minutes, third place).

From Newfound Gap near the Tennessee / North Carolina border, ran roughly eight miles along the Appalachian Trail to Clingmans Dome (6,643′) and back for a total of 16 miles.