Blazing a Trail

I did something this morning that I've never done before - I ran on trails instead of on the road (or, more likely, the sidewalk). It's amazing to me that in all the years that I've been running I've never done this before. Before I moved to Delaware 12 years ago, I didn't really live in places where running on trails was a practical regular option. However, we have wonderful trails in a state park that is only a five minute drive or a 35 minute run from my house. I've hiked these trails many times in preparation for backpacking trips, just never run on them.

At any rate, a friend suggested on Friday morning that I meet him there this morning for a 70 minute run. I'm now hooked. I'll be doing more of this in the future. The main issue that I had was sort of "rolling" my ankle a couple of times on rocks, but I was able to "go with it" and recover all right in both instances. The other issue was that my friend's dog just stopped dead in his tracks a couple of times right in front of me. I had to jump around him to avoid him. Still, it was cool to have the dog along as he thoroughly enjoyed running free in the woods (we would leash him whenever we were approaching anyone on the trail).

It's a cool experience to do something that you immediately can tell is going to become a long-term enjoyable experience. I only wonder why I never tried this sooner!