Gary the Garmin and I went for our first trail run this morning.
The trail head to a great biking/running trail is near my home. I've never logged any miles on the trail because I couldn't map it out with my car. Well, now that I have good ol' Gary with me, I decided to check it out.
The trail is part of the "Rails to Trails" project that the DNR began in the 1990's to convert unused railroad tracks into public trails. Of course, back in the '90s I was in college and couldn't have cared less about such things. But now that I'm a runner wannabe I think its absolutely brilliant!
The trail is flat and straight and all sorts of peaceful. I loved not having to deal with cars, or dogs, or lawn sprinklers. It was just myself, the peaceful Wisconsin countryside, and a few random cyclists and runners. At one point there was a corn field to my left and a dairy farm to my right. Seriously. Just classic Wisconsin. I half expected there to be a water station with a keg of beer up ahead.
I had planned on four miles this morning, but fell a little short and only managed 3.5 miles. The only drawback of the trail was that the mosquitoes were getting to me and I had forgotten my bug spray. So I turned around a wee bit early.
I found myself running more this time around. The remoteness of the trail made me much less self-conscious. I didn't much care what the birds thought of my huffing and puffing. And I'm pretty sure the squirrels weren't judging the extra jiggle going on. I mean, my sports bra did a nice job of keeping the girls in place....but I'm thinking I need a butt-bra of some sort. 'Cause even when I stop running things are still a little shifty back there. So I appreciated not having to worry about passing a neighbor's house while in full-on jiggle mode.
The only other people I ran into were: a guy straight out of Runner's World magazine sporting a fuel belt and not much else, an elderly couple riding bikes, another runner dude who seemed much less serious than Mr. Runner's World, a woman runner with enough perfume on to choke out the mosquitoes, and two super cute cyclists who were doing their best to add to the beauty of the Wisconsin countryside.
The trail is almost 12 miles long and I suppose one day I should be able to make it from one trail head to the other. But that still seems a little crazy to me.
Unless......maybe there was some sort of prize at the end like a super cute cyclist convention and a keg of beer.
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to get a garmin and now I just signed up at myfitnesspal.com as well. Looking forward to meeting you at the Wine 'n Dine.
That trail sounds awesome! If only I had that kind of scenery here in Miami, I'd be up for running (or at least walking) more often. Glad to know you're still at it, Chica! Wishing you all the best...Ily
ReplyDeleteLynda - You are gonna love that Garmin! I hope to meet you at the race in October. We'll have to figure out a metting spot before then. Thanks so much for following along with me :)
ReplyDeleteIly - I'm thinkin' your scenery in Miami might be a whole lot better than the cows and corn we've got going on up here. It is peaceful though - and I'm not sure I think of peaceful when I think of Miami. I think more of hot sweaty bodies salsa dancing into the wee hours. Whatd'ya say we switch? :)
Hey Kelly, I'm so impressed with your grit and determination to see this thing through!
ReplyDeleteLove and hugs.
Dee
Thanks Dee! There have been some ups and downs - but at the end of the year I will have run my first 5k, my first 10k, and my first half marathon. I'm feelin' pretty good about that :)
ReplyDelete