I've been looking for a reason to return to Catalina State Park and run the trails again. A window of cool weather was all the excuse needed. I was hoping my current fitness level, plus knowing the intersections better, might give me an edge over my previous run.
It was good motivation to push the pace early. I had considered running the loop backward but decided I needed my previous splits to compare to. That helped me track how I was doing vs. my past self, and I was glad to see I was gaining minutes here and there through the first half.
It was easy enough to run the Nature Trail and the Birding Trail in the opposite direction from last time. I was glad to have a better idea where the turn-around spot was on Romero, but sad to see that most of the "Wilderness" sign was broken. On to the Sutherland Trail and the longest sustained climb of the route.
There were lots of people out enjoying this beautiful day. Always fun seeing the same people multiple times and getting the "what is she doing?" looks as I pass them again.
I tested out the Link trail (parallel to the Link doubletrack road) and I like it better. The road is full of roads and rather frustrating. The trail still has rocks but many fewer of them. It's not a fast trail, just more enjoyable in my estimation.
Starting in the northern section, my splits mostly matched my previous run so I maintained a 14-15 minute lead on myself. It was fun to see part of the Arizona Monster 300 course that I had swept overnight. Then down to the Bridle Trail and a cruise back to the finish for a sub-3:30 time. Success!