Trail Running Here I Come!

Running just 20 miles a week or more can definitely lead to a dangerous adversary that threatens to suck the life out of training. That adversary is BOREDOM. And I have definitely been there lately! Even adding some new songs to my ipod mix has not helped to make the miles any more exciting. Adding to the misery is the fact that many of my winter runs have been on a treadmill. And I know there are scores of runners who can attest to the boredom of a six-miler on a rotating belt.

I have been reading to try to keep myself motivated in my running and check out some trail running blogs quite frequently. One of them is Scott Dunlap's blog that has been voted one of the best running blogs on the web. I love the woods so running down a trail really appeals to me. There's just one problem - I don't live in a very trail-runner-friendly area. It's not like there are trails designed or designated for trail running. There are a few short foot paths and a couple mountain bike trails but that is it. And none of these offer the views of some of the areas I read about online. So you guys who have awesome running trails or live in communities that respect the running community, be thankful!

But I don't want to make excuses because any trail would beat pounding down my same boring neighborhood road. I am fortunate that I have the Natchez Trace Parkway pretty close with a 6-mile trail within a 1/2 mile of my house. The trail is actually a horse trail for the first mile or so and then goes through a meadow to an Old Cherokee village. It then is a great running trail (similar to the picture to the left) and goes for about two miles to a big overlook. The only negative is it loops up to the parkway several times so you don't really feel that isolated. I have not been any further than the overlook but I think it goes another couple of miles.

There are two mountain bike trails in the area that would serve as pretty good running trails but they are both a 20-minute drive away. Even though these aren't ideal options, they should serve as good options to get rid of the monotony of sticking to the streets.

I have asked for a pair of Nike Trail Shoes for Christmas and, because my 3-year old daughter can't keep secrets, I am pretty confident I am getting them. :-) I didn't ask for the best shoes in the world but I think they will be a decent pair to see if I can stick with it. So pretty soon I will try hitting the trails! Maybe I will even don a headlamp and run at night! Nahhhhh...I am too big of a scarety cat!