Friday, February 20, 2009

Adventure Run


Yesterday, I drove past Riley's Lock and decided to hit some of the wildlife trails I had always run past while on other runs. I parked in a lonely parking lot off of River Road (HERE) and headed into the woods. I started running around desolate cornfields and trying to find connecting trails to areas I knew would have other trails. I didn't have much luck but did accumulate a ton of mud on the bottoms of my shoes. It was that thick dry mud that doubles the weight of your feet. It was laughable at first but then annoying. After 30 minutes of this I finally hopped out onto the Towpath (at the end of the Sunflower Trail...just south of mile marker 26) and ran north to mile marker 29 (close to Edwards Ferry). I then trekked across the canal from the Towpath (something I would never do during snake season!) and found my way to a beautiful black-stone road that literally ran for miles around a giant turf farm (I think it was a turf farm...see satellite image HERE). I ran back along this road towards Sycamore Landing Rd. This was definitely the best running surface I've EVER run on...it rivals the Pre Trail in Eugene. It makes sense it is so hidden. The surface was soft, but not muddy (I know Peter Silverman is getting giddy reading this). I am pretty sure I was trespassing, but who is going to care. This would be a SLAM DUNK place to do workouts. Eventually, as the satmap indicates, the black-stone road curves away from the Potomac and I had to re-cross the swampy canal and run the last half mile along the Towpath. Three seasons a year this entire area is teeming with snakes; giant black snakes and wicked copperheads.

I headed up Sycamore Landing Rd, but quickly made a right down a hunting trail. I saw a posse of wild feral cats (or cute kittens?) and spent shotgun shells littering the ground. I've seen these cats here before. It was a great trail that looped right back to Sycamore and added about a mile to my run. There were other trails that kept going south, but I had had enough. I explored a couple more trails after getting back to the main road, but I was pretty tired. I felt like I was on a 20 mile run, but really the total would only be 13.

I ran the remaining 2+ miles down hilly River Road and was spent. I woke up and ran an easy 7 and have another 7 planned for this afternoon. I am not going to lie, I am tired. I suppose this is how I am supposed to feel as I approach 100 miles, but good God this is brutal.

UPDATE: the 7 miles this afternoon felt fine.


Carry on.

5 comments:

Peter said...

You know me well. I was scrolling down the post and as my eyes scanned "best running surface I've EVER run on...it rivals the Pre Trail in Eugene," I thought to myself "Sweet!" and then I saw "(I know Peter Silverman is getting giddy reading this)." It was kind of disconcerting, like someone was spying on me.

But anyways, I look forward to going on an expedition to this running Shangri-la. Let's be discreet as not to attract the attention of the landowner/authorities.

Snizow said...

In the summer (or "snake season," as KLIM calls it), when you two make this expedition, you'll never re-emerge. TOWPATH will love the running surface so much that he never wants to leave (as is his wont with running surfaces), will have to change his nickname and will forever be known as "Beautiful Black-Stone Road" or BBSR). KLIM says he doesn't like these wicked snakes, but he's the viper to Steve Irwin's croc-- and he'll be sucked into an everlasting cat-and-mouse game with the vicious cottonmouths. The two of them will live their lives in 100-mile-a-week splendor amongst their favorite elements of this world-- pleasant running surfaces and reptiles.

KLIM said...

Damn...that is mostly all true

RM said...

Indiana Jones hates snakes.

KLIM said...

So does the RED FOX...