Double Jardine Juniper plus 5 - Just like last year I decided to do this run as a spring tune-up to see where I am at pre-pocatello50. Just like last year, the rains came and the mud appeared (and no one came with me) It was a mess out there. It was raining very steady in the valley and I wondered what I was in for. Surprisingly, it was only raining off and on during the run and was only steady nastiness for a few minutes at a time. It was pretty sweet to watch the clouds move in and out and pass through them constantly. The downside of the run was the mud. Solomon XR Mission shoes are not good at shedding mud. They became bricks and really slowed me down. The upper bowl right before the wilderness sign was a disaster. Hardly runnable, but once past that things got better again. Nothing like a trail run where you try and jump rock to rock. Lap 1 - Start to the tree turnoff (I didn't go down to the tree) counter-clockwise (usual route) then back down the trail to just past the wilderness sign to Cottonwood Canyon. Then back up the trail but this time clockwise around the backside then back down to the Truck. This lap took 1:58 (12.5 miles @ 9:27 pace) Lap 2 - Same as Lap 1 but with a snickers in my belly and a new waterbottle. I was really struggling on the uphill on this second lap and the rain was making the mud worse as time went on. Things were slow. I tried to make it up on the downhill but was slipping and sliding all over. Good times. This lap took 2:04 (12.5 miles @ 9:55 pace) I did this run last year a bit earlier in the year and 6 mins slower. Pretty close to the same fitness as last year. Roughly. Looking forward to the Pocatello 50+ in 2 weeks. T- 4:02 (25 miles) 5000' vert Self Portrait of mud after first lap - 
Shot of the awesome canyon - 
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