Nothing Like A Winter Race to Make You Think Spring

The weather Saturday morning in Frankenmuth MI looked nice if you just looked at the sky.  Bright and blue.  But it was deceiving.  Once you saw the large American flags blowing straight out from their flagpoles you knew it would feel much colder than the 21 degrees shown on the thermomotor.  But the 300+ folks lined up to start the 8k Winterlaufe were taking it all in stride.  Unlike the Volkslaufe that attracts runners of all abilities and attire to Frankemuth on July 4, the field Saturday looked mostly like fairly serious runners with Under Armour and wind-gear.  

The course was an out and back that started in town but quickly got out into the open fields.  The roads were dry as we took the ups and downs of the farmland for the first two miles.  Then the course turned on to a dirt road that was snow-covered with ice and slush.  Runners basically formed two lines, one heading out and one of runners heading back.  With the slop on that part of the course there was not much passing going on.  The final two miles were back over the dry roads and hills so some runners made up for lost time while others slowly pushed up the steeper hills.

Overall it was a fun course and a nice change from just doing a long Saturday run alone.  But I think I prefer spring  and summer races.