Behind my home is a fantastic trail, the great western trail. This trail has been a god sent! It has miles upon miles of straight forward paths, the trail itself is approx 6 -8 feet wide and allows for a pretty smooth ride with a jogging stroller and plenty of on hand entertainment for a young child.
There is a stable less then one mile from our starting point, JJ and I love to look at the horses. There are numberous intersections to navigate which can sometimes be frustrating but if you are headed wb then it's mostly residental streets and turns out just fine.
There is a cement plant near the 2 mile mark that has TONS of BIG trucks that will catch Jr's attention and often times the drivers will wave to him. Other points of intrest are a cemetary that is very well maintained, it dates back to the 1800's. If you don't get the hee bee gee bee's it's quite a nice quiet place. small too so if you happen to get a little nervous it passes quickly.
There are farms and produce stands going onto the 3rd mile, I often think I need to remember to bring cash and grab some fresh fruit or veggies. and close to my current turn around spot there is a bridge, it brings you over a creek. I'm not sure of the name of it but it always reminds me of England and I like that. I'm sure the water is terribly poluted but it's so pretty.
We have watched the shurbery turn from sticks and fallen leaves to lush greenery it seems overnight. Every day there is something new to look at on the trail and JJ seems to really enjoy the ride as for me? My joints love the softer path to run hard and long runs.
This past weekend has been esspecially exciting as I got my first dog chase. All runners have these stories, fortunatly I also happen to carry pepper spray. And this pit bull was one step away from getting it. She jump out of the bushes at us and I screamed like a little girl. My heart rate wasn't quite the same for the rest of my run but we survived.
Yesterday on our 11 miler.... I have to brag at this point. I didn't think I'd get this far already but 10 min miles on average, if I can just get the pacing worked out. I'm running positive splits and a lot of walking at the end. However yesterday I was able to SPRINT my last 1/4 mile and so I must not have been pushing hard enough. I was not dying as I thought I might with my long run with the stroller.
anyways back to the point we saw lots of bunnies on the trail yesterday. I always point them out to JJ but he doesn't seem to care. I want to feed them but I know that's probebly not the best idea. We also saw a turtle! A tiny little thing that we almost ran over against my better judgement I picked it up and showed JJ then helped it get to safety on the side of the trail. I hope I helped him get to the correct side.
And then there were the horses. I wonder what JJ must think of horses, he gets dogs and cats confused but horses... are they just really BIG dogs to him? I don't mind seeing them at all, in fact an animal lover such as myself rather enjoys running through all this nature, I do however mind having to dodge thier droppings. they can be rather large piles. Add the locked front wheel of the stroller + the speed of my runs can sometimes make it diffictult to avoid. Do you think they are required to pick up after thier "pet's" much like dog owners are? hmmm
Anyways I can not say enough how wonderful this trail is. How if I weren't a runner I don't know if I'd have this to look forward to everyday and man is it SOMETHING to enjoy.
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Sounds like a pretty bad-ass trail. JJ must enjoy flying through it in his stroller. Although whether or not he has any idea what the hell he's looking at is anybody's guess.
ReplyDeleteHave you talked with Dad about dog-fending techniques? I'm sure he would have some pointers for you!