Time to Hit the Trails! In More Ways than One...

This weekend was another on the list of firsts for me. I ran and biked my first series of trails.  The running was not bad and I actually enjoyed running on the uneven and softer earth.  It was a nice change of pace from concrete and asphalt.  I did the trail runs because I am going to register for a 15 mile trail run on February 11^th in Louisville.  Since I didn’t know what to expect, I figured I would see what trail running was all about.  I have always been told that running on dirt is so much easier on a person’s joints because it is softer.  So, assuming that I liked it would mean that I would sign up for the 15 miler. Well, I guess I am about to sign up because it awesome!  Crossing over little creeks and running down into valleys and up hills was not as difficult as I thought and the impact to my body was so much less.  Now, don’t get me wrong, the hills are a bit more challenging, but overall, running on trails does provide a nice break from road running. Running on the trails alone makes you feel like you are all alone, just you and your running, and sometimes, that’s nice.

Anyway, back to the weekend.  I have discussed my newfound interest in trail running, but the jury is still out on mountain biking.  First of all, let me explain my experience with mountain biking.  Uhmmm…Zero.

Well, besides the fact that my back wheel would always slide to the right over roots and spin out in the mud on the way up hills, I felt like I was on the ground more than being upright.  To give you an example, total number of miles rode on mountain bike = 9, total number of times I fell on my butt = 10.  Therefore, I fell more times than the number of miles I rode.  Maybe it was because I was cleated to the bike and didn’t realize just how fast I need to clip out to stay upright.  I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to start up a hill, have my back tire shoot right, spinout because of the mud, and then because I wasn’t able to clip out fast enough, decide which side (left or right) looked softer to fall. I know it sounds funny, and after reading this, I did have to laugh a little.  After all, if we can’t laugh at ourselves, then how can we find anything humorous in life right?

All in all, it was an exciting weekend with obvious up and downs (another one that made me laugh).  I did like the feeling of getting dirty while running and biking.  Reminded me of when I was a kid and wanted to play in the dirt.  It always seemed that, as a kid, the dirtier you got, the more fun you had.  Well, I can say if that is true, then this kid had a blast!

Trail rashed, motivated, and running…