What's It Like Out There?

As I was running through Monte Sano State Park this afternoon, I started yearning for some ridge/mountain running. I like to read Scott Dunlap's blog and other western runners, and their runs always seem to be over mountain and next to the ocean and such. Is the running out there really that different. Don't get me wrong, running in the south, in Monte Sano, even in the Withlacoochee in FL, is great. However, it always seems to be in dense forest. It makes me want to go back to the Smokies to run along the ridges this fall. California runners, tell me this, do you all get wrapped up in spider webs too? I'm getting more used to it, but getting hit in the face repeatedly with webs is not the best feeling.

Today's Run

I did about 5 mi today in the southern portion of Monte Sano today. I went up the Natural Well Trail and then looped back on Arrowhead Trail. It was one of my favorite runs to date. The trails were not exceptional (pretty hard). The views were similar to the rest of the park (trees). It just felt different. The Natural Well Trail would be awesome in the early spring (or whenever water is abundant) because of all the crossings. It's namesake is essentially a giant hole in the ground, offering a neat view of different rock layers. Beyond that the trail criss-crosses what seem to be waterfalls along with streams. I suppose my imagination ran away with those dry water beds, stoney trails, and shimmering sunlight making the trail even better than it was. Despite the challenging terrain, I fell in love with that portion of the trail.

The Arrowhead, while also beautiful - undulating with the slopes - did not attract me as much. That might be in part to the greater elevation change, however. Much of the Arrowhead heading back south to the Natural Well Trail is steadily uphill. My heartrate increased from the mid 140s to upwards of 155-160 as I climbed. Because I am still running fairly short distances on the trail, I only resort to walking when the trail is really steep (when my running and walking are about equivalent speeds).

All in all, it was a very satisfying run. After struggling with young children throwing tantrums for most of the day, escaping to the woods was what I needed. And as I get deeper into this marathon training and trail running, I feel the desire to simply keep running growing.

Trail Report

- Natural Well: a mix of gravel, stone, and dirt. Not great elevation change, but substantial descending going North. Many water crossing. Nice views of stone cliffs.
- Arrowhead: more narrow with some overgrowth. Steady elevation change for much of trail