Running: Life's Journey: Run Around Town

I have lived in my town for over a year and a half ... and I just discovered the city's local running trail! I think Mother Nature read the rant on my previous post and delivered GORGEOUS weather the rest of the week. I hopped in my car and ventured out towards the trail head immediately following work.

I give the experience an overall B+. The trail was wonderful but there were some many errors on my part that lessened the enjoyment of the run. Starting out ... I got lost en route to the park. Like previously mentioned I have lived in my city for quite some time now - and I still rely on my GPS like my life depends on it. (I regularly get lost driving to work ...) So I stopped at a gas station and did a quick search for directions on my Blackberry. A few minutes later I was there! (The park is actually only about 5 minutes away from my home and I still managed to get lost ... stupid one-way streets!)

But my failure to plan regarding directions cascaded into general failure to plan the run. I was overdressed for the occasion - while it had snowed only days earlier I was now sweating in long sleeves and shorts. It was almost as if my body had forgotten how to run in warm weather. And I desperately needed sunglasses which I totally forgot. In the excitement to get started in exploring a new place I totally forgot to stretch and my knees were crying only minutes into the run. I got lost multiple times as I was rather unsure about the direction of the trail. I ran right past a sign marking a No Outlet area. And the bugs ... oh the bugs. I forgot that bugs like gnats love warm weather and thrive near water. The trail is planned along the banks of a local river and let's just say I swallowed more than a couple of those little suckers. (And one large guy in particular even ended up in my eye! Yikes!)

But what I lacked in preparation was made up for in the beauty and enjoyment of taking in the scenes. I truly live in a beautiful city - and I was able to experience it from different views I had never explored before. It was a gorgeous day and I had no expectations. I was free to wander and see the sights as I pleased. It wasn't too hard of a training run because I spent much of the time snapping pictures on my phone. But it was definitely a cool new place to experience! I love that even though I live in a very urban setting downtown I can easily catch this quick escape into nature.