Intro To Dirt

Teammates On The Trail

Given the choice, I always prefer to run on trails instead of roads. This is often a solitary endeavor so I thought I’d mix it up by inviting some of my teammates to come along. I’d been talking to some of them about getting out on the dirt and had already hit the trails with Bryan so I found a few other TNT’ers willing to join in a trail run today. I picked South Valley Park because it is relatively close in to Denver and has many trails of varying length and steepness. Kelli, Elise, Heather and I met later in the day to find the cooler temperatures that can be tricky to find this time of year. My companions were trying their first trail run ever so  we picked a route that wouldn’t be too long and featured wide, generally smooth trails winding through the narrow valleys that split the tilted sandstone escarpments of the area. We set a respectable pace, slower than one we might feel comfortable with on the pavement, that permitted us to cope with the ruts, rocks, and gullies that runners encounter when they leave the asphalt behind. The trail, quite remarkably, was uphill both ways! It ascended gradually and then dropped quickly to Deer Creek Canyon Road. With all of the descent finished in that short section, we were left to climb back up to our starting point-over the next mile-and-a-half. Despite the upward trend of our route, we managed to stay together and make sure that we all made it back to the lot in one piece. Everyone felt like they’d worked hard and valued the added complexity that trail running introduces to the sport. All of us have different goals for the season and with my teammates feeling as though they’d met theirs for the day, my own ambition required that I head out for a second lap. I went back on the trail just before dusk, a time when wildlife is at its most active. A cottontail rabbit scampered into its warren below some trailside shrubs as I approached. A pair of mule deer grazed the bushes for their subsistence in the evening shade. Trail running appeals to me for many reasons and these chance encounters with wildlife is one of them. I cruised into the trailhead for the finish, heartened by an enjoyable run and the prospect of having a few more partners to choose from on future adventures.