Afton

I finally made it out to Afton for the first time this season! Got about 20 miles in doing 2 laps of the Africa Loop, Back 40, Nigel's Hill and Campground Hill. Actual mileage was somewhere between 19.2 - 20.4 depending on which software you use, so I went with 19.65 miles after doing the "gravity elevation correction" thing on Motion Based.

Trail was in very good condition for early April, though the Back 40 was pretty slippery in spots later in the day as the mud began to thaw. Saw Alicia, Tom, and Nancy as well as lots of people backpacking and walking their dogs. The park seemed amazingly quiet without any boat motors humming on the St. Croix.

Here is the elevation profile for my run:

...works out to 7185 total vertical feet for the 2 loops. The plantar fascia on my right foot was talking to me a little bit after 15-16 miles and is a little tender today, so I'll have to watch that. Boy was my pace pokey, but I was basically walking the uphills and navigating a little mud - probably what I'll encounter at Chippewa in a few weeks.

Next week, I'm planning on being down at the inaugural Zumbro 100 helping out - not sure what my assignment will be yet but it should be an awesome race!

Edit: Looks like I'll be sweeping the course at Zumbro, which will allow me to get another 20 miler in before Chippewa . See ya there!