Bad Ideas of Winter

We finished the second annual Bad Ideas of Winter Challenge. It's fun to have something to keep us motivated through the cold, icy winter months. This challenge was created by Dan, and it has 5-6 events you have to participate in from December-February.

Isengard:

Watch a 90 minute movie while running on the treadmill. I ran 10.5 miles while watching Mamma Mia. Mark watched Jurassic World. 

Bonehead:

On January 1st, run at least a 10k up Sunnyside towards Bone. The group met early in the morning and the temperature was -15 degrees. A few of us waited for it to warm up a bit, so we went later in the day when it was a balmy -7 degrees. 😁 This is just one of the many reasons it's called BAD IDEAS OF WINTER. We've learned that you can stay plenty warm in these conditions if you are dressed right, and you just keep moving.

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Mat was there too!

A very icy, cold Sunnyside hill!

Yeti Spaghetti:

Normally this is a group event where we all meet in Soda Springs, run a 5.5 mile course in terrible snow, and then freeze our butts off at a potluck afterwards. We had decided not to attend the actual event this year, because it's a really long drive for just 5.5 miles. We needed more miles, so we were going to just do it on our own. The event ended up going virtual instead, so it worked out perfectly. We did a 20 miler on Wolf Flats, which was a total sheet of ice. It was more of a penguin waddle trying to stay on our feet. It fit right in with the BAD IDEAS theme.

The road was icy like this almost the whole way!

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We finally got to the part where they stop plowing, so we got a mile out and a mile back on glorious snow! It didn't last long, but it was nice being off the ice for a couple miles.

So pretty, but ugh, check out the ice!

We always see eagles on this route in the winter.

The Long Night:

This is one of my favorite events of winter. It is an amazing fundraiser for Coming Home Inc (a local organization that provides much needed services to veterans and their families). The event starts at 8:00 pm, and ends 12 hours later at 8:00 am, right as the sun is coming up. The goal is to not have anyone running by themselves during the night. People come and go at all hours of the night. We run a 1.1 mile loop, four times every hour. If you are crazy, and go the whole night, you get 50 miles done in the 12 hours. I've done it three years in a row, and I've gotten a little bit farther each time. This year I went 45 miles! My goal was 40 miles, and I was dealing with a hamstring injury, so I was thrilled with how the night went. Mark went a little over 42 miles! We were both very happy! The turn out was amazing, and lots of money and awareness were raised.

This is the group that started at 8:00, but so many more people came and went throughout the night. Our running community is amazing!

There's no one I'd rather freeze my butt off with!

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Soup in the Snow:

This is another favorite of the winter! We run the Palisades trail to the lower lake, do a push-up on the bridge, and run back. Then we have a soup potluck at the end. So fun! The trail conditions were so good this year! The best I've seen since the event started years ago. We needed more miles, so we went up early and did a bonus 5 miles before the event started. That gave us 14 miles for the day.

Big group this year!

So pretty!

This is one of our 'go to' winter trails! It doesn't get much prettier than Palisades!

I did my push-up, and one for Mark, since he hurt his arm.

The lower lake.

Mark saw this mountain goat on the way back down. It was probably just watching the parade of runners going by.

A few of us followed this mama and baby moose down the trail for a while, until it finally went off into the trees.

Warm soup and lots of treats at the end.

Winter is long, and hard in Idaho! I've learned from living here for over 20 years that it is what you make it. I have to be outside for my own mental health, so events like these are very important to me. I'm grateful for a running community that agrees!