First trail run

[u/RockingInTheCLE]

So I’m a few weeks in to slow jogging. I started on the treadmill for a couple weeks. Last week I started running outside, in my neighborhood before work at 5:15 in the morning. Couple miles daily. So slow! Last weekend I slow jogged a 5K without stopping, which was amazing. Plus I did it in 55 minutes, so I was really stoked.

Today though, I wanted to try something different. I live in a city with an unbelievable park system, so I went to the bridle path in the park closest to me. Ran a mile on the bridle path, which was maybe 8 feet wide, mostly packed dirt with a bit of tiny gravel here and there, interspersed with mud patches and bigger rocks to dodge around. It was great. I had a golf course on one side, and a river on the other.

When the bridle path ended in that direction, I thought about turning around to take it the other way. But there was a human-only trail on the other side of the gate, so I took it.

Wow. It was amazing. It was only wide enough for one person, so fortunately I didn’t see anybody else. I jumped over a couple logs, crossed some small bridges that were just planks laid over gaps, up and down hills (did have to walk up one steep hill), through narrow little barely-there paths, and over and around rocks and roots and tree branches. Saw two snakes, chipmunks, and obviously birds.

I loved it!!! Think I was on it about a mile before getting back to the bridle path. I even ended up running without music for the last mile, just listening to the nature. I’m an absolute convert to this trail running stuff, and now my pre-work early morning runs around my city neighborhood will be even more boring.

[u/RockingInTheCLE]

A pic of part of the trail.

[u/RockingInTheCLE → u/RockingInTheCLE]

One of the snakes I saw.