This spur-of-the-moment FKT was exactly what I needed.
My goal was to go out and have an easy, flat long run, and getting the FKT was not necessarily the main goal. I have been switching up my training and wanted to see how my body would feel at this distance. I hadn't run this long since the end of November, so this was a little bit of an experiment. The undeveloped section was a little rougher than I anticipated, but it was super fun running through the rocks and ravines. Right around mile 5, the trail becomes pretty smooth and very runnable. When I hit mile 10, I was sure that I wasn't going to get the FKT, so I just really started taking in the views and focused on enjoying the experience. The area is quite beautiful and there are already wildflowers starting to bloom. When I reached mile 16, I started thinking, "maybe I can get the FKT." So I turned on some music and picked up the pace. I ended up pushing hard on some unhappy legs at the end, only to shave a few minutes off the FKT!