Difficult to Lake Fairfax

Ran from Difficult to Lake Fairfax today and it turned out to be quite the experience. I guess it rained a lot recently and turned the trail into a muddled mess. To give you an idea of just how bad it was, I am going to give a recap of parallel splits(the run was an out and back)
Mile 1/Mile 11: 8:06/7:32
I hate to say it, but the 7:32 was probably the split I was the most proud of the entire run. This was probably the most the difficult mile of all, followed closely by the next mile.
Mile 2/Mile 10: 7:46/7:35
On the way out, I contemplated turning back considering I was just slopping around, and not really getting a run in; but I decided to press on since I was actually having a good time playing in the mud. For those familiar with running in the mud, I should point out that there was a variation of the sticky mud and impossible to gain traction (slippery) mud. Fortunately there wasnt too much of the slippery mud, or I probably would have went a different direction.
Mile 3/Mile 9: 6:40/6:43
This mile provided a false glimmer of hope for the run, as it switched to gravel from the single track that I was on earlier. Pretty much as soon as this mile ended, it switched back over to single track.
Mile 4/Mile 8: 7:04/7:08
This mile was a lot better in terms of traction, but unfortunately (usually fortunately) I ran into some hills which definitely got the best of me at least on the way out.
Mile 5/Mile 7: 7:28/7:06
This mile had a decent amount of gravel, but also a decent amount of elevation change. It turns out that Lake Fairfax is really just one big hill, and the 7:28 shows that. The 7:06 also shows the same thing as the two hills were so steep that I had to gently run down to make sure I didnt kill myself
Mile 6: 6:58
I hopped off the trail and did an out back on the soccer fields at the top of the park to get myself a much needed reprieve from the mud and hills.

Overall, it was a great experience. My legs may not agree in the morning, but its rare to get the chance to play in the mud as you age. I highly recommend it.

11 miles 1:20 (7:17 pace)
Garmin out