… and it turned out to be a good thing.

Once again, I chose to go run trails for my run workout this evening.  It was supposed to be only a 45 minute run, but due to that missed turn, I ended up going 20 minutes longer. Normally, I would be frustrated with going so far over on a workout, but this evening I found myself really enjoying it.

The reason I got ‘lost in the woods’, was that I was running some trails, that I have never run before.  I really liked this section of the park, even if,  the first half mile of the trail was all uphill – a 450 feet climb.

Once I had made that climb however, I found myself running on gently rolling terrain, where the quality of the trail was really good. There were a few more people on this trail, compared to the other trail I have been running, but it was still quite quiet. I was able to get into a great rhythm and became very relaxed.  This was fun.

My favorite section of the run, was the second climb.  It consisted of a series of gentle switchbacks. This meant that, even though I was gaining several hundred feet in elevation, the grade of the climb was never severe enough to cause me to walk.  I was just a section of good, solid running.

By the time I finished, this run had become my longest of the year.  I know that’s not saying much after my injuries, but it felt really good to run for well over an hour.  I really feel like I am starting to get my running legs back … which is  a great feeling.  I love my long runs and soon, they will be back as part of my routine.