Saturday, June 05, 2010

Trail Love

This morning I met up with three friends from my training group and headed to a local conservation area where we picked up part of the Bruce Trail for my first official trail run! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew I was in good hands with at least one seasoned trail-runner in the bunch and I was excited to experience something new.

I absolutely loved it!

We set out with a plan of running an out-and-back for about 2-2.5 hours, following the blue markers. The trails weren't too technical, but we definitely had to keep our eyes on the ground. They were primarily single-track with roots, rocks and various other obstacles along the way. We climbed up and down as we weaved our way through the woods, all the while keeping an eye on our footing and watching out for those blue markers. (We only made one wrong turn and thankfully noticed right away.)

It was so quiet and peaceful, with only the sounds of the birds, our breath, footsteps on the soft earth and our legs rustling through the bush. (Except for the one time I heard a loud rustling nearby and thought we were being attacked by a bear forest critter and shrieked in panic.) It was so beautiful in the woods and I was constantly in awe of my surroundings.

We covered about 19K/12 miles in 2:16. You definitely have to slow down a lot out there and it was refreshing not to pay any attention to pace whatsoever.

We snapped a quick self-timer pic and chowed down on my power bars back at the car, as us newbies proclaimed our new-found love for the trails. I definitely plan to spend some more time out there this summer.


Cathy, Martin, Kevin, Marlene



My shoes and socks have seen better days!

36 comments:

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Once you've hit the trails you'll never go back to asphalt again! The trail running bug bites hard and doesn't let go! I know, I've go a big on bit into me and I can't wait for my next time in the woods!

Glad you loved it!

ajh said...

Sounds like fun.. I get to try some trails when I go to Colorado.

Sarah said...

dirty girl ;)

Unknown said...

I don't have woods to run in, but I prefer running along the bosque trail (that's the area by the river) vs running on the road or in neighborhoods for peacefulness.

ShutUpandRun said...

I agree - trail running is a welcome change from regular road running...sounds like a great day!! And a great workout

Mel-2nd Chances said...

Such a great change of scenery!! Great job!

Anonymous said...

hey, where did you enter the trail? ive always wanted to go, but dont know where enter it.

great job on ur run! what a perfect day for a trail run!

Sarah said...

I never run trails...I have no running buddy and don't feel safe going by myself. :( Sounds like such a fun run!

Unknown said...

I LOVE black shoes and socks. Still need to wash mine from last weekend!
Doesn't it make you feel like you really accomplished something?!

Aron said...

its sooooo fun huh??? YAY glad you had a great time!

TNTcoach Ken said...

I need to get my butt back to the trails and save my legs....

Heather said...

That looks like so much fun!

Jocelyn said...

Sounds like so much fun!! Now I want to go trail running!!

Anne said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time...I totally want to try this one day!

Denise said...

sounds and looks like so much fun. i need to get into some trail running. i'm just such a sissy and am scared of getting hurt.

Momma Twitch said...

Looks like fun! I may have to try out trail running one day.

Anonymous said...

trail running is definitely rough on the shoes! the only reason I haven't done a trail run is because I don't have the proper trail-shoes for it and don't want to risk injury in my road shoes. glad to hear it is fun; it makes me want to get out there right now
Katherine

Felice Devine said...

Fun! How do your feet feel today? My feet often feel sore the day after a trail run.

Nicole said...

That sounds amazing! I want to tri trail running sometime too! :)

J said...

Sounds like such a great run! Your shoes are quite dirty! I need to pull out my trail running shoes soon!

Badgergirl said...

Sounds like a great change of pace and scenery!

And I love the dirty shoes and socks pic!

Bethany + Ryan said...

trail running is so much fun! i love the relaxed pace and i love how i can run run for hours and hours without feeling like i ran at all! i can't wait for my next trail race! glad you tried it and glad you love it!

Anonymous said...

I've got to find a good trail around here! Sounds awesome!

Anonymous said...

How fun!! Did you use trail shoes?? I did a SHORT (i.e. 1 mile) trail run during my volunteering on Saturday and omg my feet hurt! Needless to say I'm floored as to how people did 50 miles like that. :) This sounds like a great way to spend part of the weekend though, and a gooood leg workout!

Amy said...

Sounds awesome! I'd like to give trail running a try, but I'm scared of the bears around here - safety in numbers!

Jamie said...

Sounds like fun! Way to mix it up over the weekend!

N.D. said...

everyone seems to love trail running once they try it - glad it was good! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh your trail run sounds so fun! And dirrrrtty!! Lol! I am glad you had such a good time.

Anonymous said...

Bingo! Maybe that's what I need to do, run trails!! Thanks Marlene, you are a life saver.

ShirleyPerly said...

Sounds so fun!!

I would love train running if it weren't for my weak ankles. But come to think of it, I signed up for a marathon later this year that has some off-road sections. Oops.

Emz said...

awesome run.
Changing it up can be fun. ;)

great picture!!

X-Country2 said...

Now THAT'S what a trail run looks like at the end. Nice work!

Jill said...

Ahhhh, nothing beats a great trail run, black shoes and socks and all!! Glad you had a great time!!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

34th comment...

Those are some DIRTY shoes.. Wowzers.

there are a lot of trail runs/races in my area with the race fees going to maintaining the trails. I am hoping to try one this summer. SLOW!!! Maybe even walking. I am a huge KLUTZ!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Runner Leana said...

Kelly and I did a trail run and whooo! Is it harder!! We also thought we could blame altitude on our general slowness too. Glad you loved it!