Trail running. I have always loved it. One might think that living in Denver for 15 years provided a lot of trail running opportunities. Well, if that’s the case, you just don’t know Denver. It is a shockingly flat city and spread out. Omaha has more undulation and hills than metro Denver. Truly. I have run a decent amount in both cities.
Also, if you live in east Denver, the mountains aren’t close. You have a one-way, 35-40-minute drive to get to the foothills, a total slog that means a trek on 70, 6th Ave, or a really long loop south via 225, 25, and 470. That’s just to get to a run, that by this Coloradan’s standards, could qualify as a trail run. Then you have the drive back.
So, for fifteen years, trail running wasn’t a big part of my running regimen. Whenever we would vacation in the mountains, which was frequent, I would bring all the running gear and over the years I’ve accrued a lot of miles in Breckenridge, Frisco, Vail, Steamboat Springs, and Estes Park.
Since Fort Collins has been home, trail running is back on the menu and a regular part of my week. The mountains in general just feel much more accessible here. I can reach the base of them in twenty minutes. I have a standing trail run with a good friend every Thursday at noon. I have joined the Fort Collins Run Club and participate in their training runs for the Horsetooth Half Marathon (not a trail run, but a decent chunk of it happens in the mountains).
Solo trail runs are also a regular occurrence. This time by myself serves as a much-needed meditative hour in the midst of so much noise and bustling about. Now, the week doesn’t quite feel fully taken advantage of if it doesn’t include a trail run.
A good trail run always presents a scene worthy of a photo. So, before I head off on my weekly trail run, I’ll share a few photos below of the scenes trail running has brought me. The new header image for this blog is from a trail run as well. It’s not a remarkable photo, but it was time to lose the old photo of the Denver skyline, circa 2014.
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