Still on a bit of a high after finishing the Kettle Endurance Runs 38 mile night "Fun Run" this past weekend. What an adventure. My finish time was 10 hours, 50 minutes. The only other time I've run sunset to sunrise was during Ragnar, but even then I was able to sleep a wink or two. A few takeaways from the race: . Meeting up and running through the night with crazy MUDD friends was the best idea. We all managed to start and finish together. . Started just after 6 p.m. and finished just before 5 a.m. Sunday morning. Props to caffeinated Tailwind, many familiar faces, and the amazing aid stations to pull me through. . The mosquitoes were no joke. OFF was absolutely necessary. . Managed to stay on my feet the whole way despite some gnarly ankle busters. No harm done, thankfully. . My first time getting caught in an overnight thunderstorm while on the trail. . Favorite moments include turning the headlamps off and enjoying the starry sky after the storm passed. . The Blue Nordic Loop was punishing on the return trip. So tired. I thought it would never end. . My aid station food experiment continues with success: Favorites included cheese quesadillas, grilled cheese, hot hash browns (to die for), bacon, and pancakes with syrup(!!). . Gear that worked: Black Diamond Icon Polar headlamp, Insect Shield Buff, Salomon Bonatti WP rain jacket, Ultimate Direction Jurek FKT vest, caffeinated Tailwind, Tailwind Rebuild recovery drink. . Gear that didn’t: UD Flex Form bottles with older, smaller bite valve that came with Jurek vest. Bite and tip up to drink took my eyes off the dark trail. Prefer the round UD bottle with taller rubber bite valve with less tipping. It’s the little things... . . . . #ultrarunning #trailrunning #trail #trailandultra #running #igrunners #fitness #runner #runnersofinstagram #ultra #ultratraining #ultrachat #ultrarunner #trailrun #trailrunner #optoutside #outdoors #innerWild #runwithUD #gotailwind #SalomonSquad #TimeToPlay (at Kettle Moraine State Park)
