Folders |
Trail Running; A Beautiful Mess
Published by
Written By Sam Voss 
Ice on the trail. The last few weeks have been bitter. Freezing temperatures, drizzles and downpours, even streaks of snow from time to time. Yesterday, though, it rained all day. It was warmer than it has been, and most of the remaining ice on the roads and trails thawed. So last night I checked the weather. The forecast predicted sunshine and near 40 degree temperatures; I had to run outside. After two straight weeks on the hamster wheel, I thought this was the time to finally venture back outdoors. “Tomorrow,” I thought yesterday, “I will go trail running.” 
Pumped for Callahan State Park! Callahan State Park is a local labyrinth of rocky trails and paths, centered around a lake at the base of a small hill, that attracts anyone from the dog walker to runner to hiker. I’ve been there before, on walks in the summer, but this was to be another animal entirely. From the start, I could tell I was ill prepared. A number of rocks and vast stretches of puddles and ice patches posed a challenge, and my shoes are hardly slip-proof. They have been perfect for my bout on the treadmill, but they were no match for the wet, muddy hills of the woods in January. Half way up the peak I slipped almost 10 times, and the white on my shoes faded. Muck and grass gripped to the sides of my Nike’s, and chunks of the earth splashed up onto my socks and calves. In the process, my gloves were also ruined by using my hands as a brace when I fell.
Before: After:
Needless to say, my pace did not fare so well, but in the end, it was worth it. I finally got to stretch my legs outside again, plus I got some cool pictures along the way: 
The view from the peak of Callahan! The full gallery:
As I was dodging rocks and logging my run, I forgot about my speed. After a long run the day before, I just wanted to get my legs loose, but not over-exert myself, and I ended up on a light trot through the woods. I didn’t know where I
For a long time I’ve been stuck on the treadmill, and the joy of exploring outside was exhilarating. If you haven’t got the chance to do this, this winter, I highly recommend it. Not only will it bring some variety to your routine, but it might also reinvigorate your inner desire to run. There is a happiness that comes from uncovering new routes and jogging with no set direction or duration, and it fosters the primordial need to be free. The best part about trail running is that, to do it correctly, you should get lost. You should jaunt through the mud, and you should just have fun. And if you don’t know where you’re going, just track your run with a fitness app that uses GPS, like the RunSafe App (Download Here), and forget about where you are. Run until you cannot run anymore, check your GPS, and retrace your steps. With the use of its map tracking, you will always know where you are, and you can even call out for help, if need be. Luckily, through my slips and stumbles, I made it back safe, but I’m happy to have finally changed up my routine with a trail run, and I hope some of you are willing to do the same. My Stats:
|
was going, and I didn’t bother trying to figure it out. I took a left at one fork in the trail and a right at another. Yeah, I sacrificed some time reading the signs and second-guessing myself, but the point was that it was an adventure, and I didn’t need to know where I was going. I splashed in the puddles and stopped to take pictures. I backtracked on the same loops after getting lost.
