Trail Love

After thousands of miles on roads and tracks, I’ve definitely been there and done that. With the T-shirts and medals to show for it. These days, I’ll run on the roads if that’s my only option. When I’m at Craftsbury I’ll happily traverse all of the beautiful and hilly dirt roads. That’s a different deal. Otherwise? Give me trails to run on, please.

I’ve got a nose for trails. Put me in any town, anywhere and I can find the trails. I consider it a gift! Case in point: I was in Carmel, CA two years ago for a wedding. I knew there was the magnificent trail-loaded, surf side Point Lobos State Reserve nearby but time was short (it takes me awhile to get “wedding-ready”) and I wanted to get a decent run in before the big event. I needed trails pronto.

I headed out the door and noodled around a particularly hilly neighborhood with a dark fringe of green canopy nestled behind it. Up a hill, around a corner and voila! Mission Trail Park. I happily traversed the soft wood-chipped wider trails, climbed the single track and discovered a wealth of flora and fauna. Old-growth oak trees, red wood trees, deer tracks and scat and grassy meadows loaded with California poppies. The roar of the Pacific surf and glimpses of Point Lobos’ craggy cliffs kept pulling my attention from the trails.

Trails are the antidote for any runner whose legs are road weary and whose brain feels fried by sidewalks, noise and cars. By choosing soft surfaces, your ankles and feet get stronger, your balance becomes more honed and your legs get a real break from hard surfaces. Splits and pace mean nothing on the trails. The tyranny of the watch and the black and white grimness of numbers don’t matter. Yeah, I know it’s sometimes more time consuming to travel to trails to run on them but the gifts are well worth it.

Trail running rewards sharp eyes, too. I’ve seen so many beautiful things while running on trails. It’s fun to spy a wildflower or the presence of a small creature. Here are some of my favorite finds from recent runs on my home trails in Forest Park.