Appalachian Trail

Today certainly turned into an interesting Christmas Day run. I got a pair of tights and Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch among my many gifts. I didn't get any trail running shoes. Regardless, I decided to try finding a trail. I wound up trying the Appalachian Trail, since it isn't too far from my parents house.

They drove me to the snow covered trail and waited for me in the car. Running it seemed pretty crazy when I looked it over, so of course I jumped right in. I ran what I thought was the main trail, but later learned it was just a rugged adjacent path. I climbed up the very rocky path. I had to go slow and the hill was steep. I had trouble breathing early on too.

I fell once and there were some sharp rocks that hurt my feet. Luckily, the snow actually provided some nice cushioning and with only a few inches, it was reasonable to run on. After climbing for awhile, I came to an opening. I ran down a little and had a spectacular view from the top of the mountain.

I wasn't on the right path though, so I continued along the main trail. That was much wider and easier to navigate through. I ran faster there when I could. The problem I encountered was a lot of snow drifts. I had thin socks on and snow was often getting into my shoe.

A nearby chemical plant destroyed a lot of the trees in that area and it was eerie running through that desolate portion of the trail. The ground there is either black or orange. Some sections had snow drifts, others were bare.

I finally decided to turn around after 32 minutes. I regretted doing so though, because I was having such a blast. I never did much trail running and didn't realize how much fun it could be. I was the only one up there and crazy enough to run in those conditions. The rugged section had some other footprints, but the main trail only had animal tracks.

The run back was a real shock and slap in the face. I came across incredibly strong winds, one of the reasons that there was no snow on the ground (it all blew away). My feet still felt pretty good, but I was beginning to become concerned with how much snow and cold they were being exposed to. Trail shoes would've certainly helped.

I kept on running because I had no other choice. Even though my foot impacted the ground at different angles, my IT band didn't bother me. The softness of the snow must've cushioned it very well.

I got lost on the way back. I recognized the power line tower near where I came out of the rugged portion of the trail. I stayed on the main trail though for about 5 more minutes. I wasn't sure if I was going the right way, so I turned around and headed back for the tower. I then found the rugged trail.

It took awhile to get down there and I had to navigate down the steep slope very slowly. My dad actually called out for me at one point. They were getting worried. It was getting pretty dark by the end of the run. The rugged section of trail was marked with white paint on the trees, so it wasn't hard to follow.

I finally finished up, after over an hour of running. It was a very slow run, but definitely challenging. The hills were excellent and just what I need to get stronger. I later discovered that when I turned around to go back to the power line tower, that I was actually on the right path. That would've led right to the car and in a much easier fashion.

The run was a blast and I'll definitely have to go up there again sometime. I guess I need to find some more trails to run on as well as getting some trail shoes. Thicker socks would've helped too.

Tomorrow, I'll take off and buy a couple running related items. I'm going to run 10 miles on Sunday before leaving for the Eagles game. I'll likely stick to the roads this time though. What an amazing Christmas run though.

6.36 miles - 1:11:38 (11:16 pace)