My 2 new loves!!!

  I went trail running for the first time this past Saturday and I.  Am.  In.  Love!!!!  My friend, Katie, invited me to run 2 loops of the 7.5 trail at St. Mary's River State Park in Callaway, MD.  I eagerly accepted as it had been more years since I had graced the intermediate trail and my first time hitting the trail since Hurricane Irene blew through last year.

 I celebrated my first trail run by donning my brand new lululemon Bang Buster headband in lieu of my usual running cap.  I love, love, love how it kept my thick, stubborn strands out of my face.  There's nothing more annoying than having a stray strand bouncing off your forehead, especially when I had roots and rocks to look forward to on this run!

    I wanted to avoid worrying about my pace when we hit the trail.  We got there pretty early because Katie had advertised our run with the local running club and some people were going to come at 8 am to hit the trail.  Since we wanted to do 2 laps, we got there at 6:20, giving us a good cushion to get our first lap in.  We met a 50k runner who frequented the park a lot and usually completed the 7.5 mile loop in an hour.  Yeah, not me.  I anticipated taking at least an hour and a half to finish one lap having never run on trails before.

  And I'm so glad I didn't worry about time!  If I had, I would have missed out on the beauty of the park and the blissful nature of the run itself.  Trail running is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical test.  My senses felt much more acute during the trail run, more so than my usual road run.  In the park, the absence of vehicles whizzing by me made me notice more of my surroundings.  I visually had to pay closer attention to my foot placement.  The sound of the birds singing, the insects buzzing, and the frogs peeping so early in the morning created this audible orchestra in the middle of this quiet forest.  I could smell the ozone that Katie (my biologist friend) pointed out but also that earthy smell that makes you feel connected to nature.  To me, trail running is running at it's purist.  Running through roots, leaves, and rocks made me think that this is what the runners were doing tens and hundreds of years before.  No iPods/iPhones, GPS, heart monitors to worry about.  It was me and the forest as my companion.  And, if I may say so myself, it was a truly fine-looking companion...

  

The view of the lake from the dam

My friend, Katie.  I felt like a greyhound constantly chasing, but never catching, that elusive rabbit running behind her...

 Our final mileage ended up being around 16.7 miles and we finished in a little more than 3 1/2 hours.  The first time I ever hiked this trail it took me 3+ hours to finish one loop of 7.5 miles so I'm happy with the time I ran it in.  This trail run made for a perfect long-distance training run.  Glorious inclines, mental and physical challenges, and a gorgeous setting.  A runner really couldn't ask for anything more.

  Except for a brand new pair of trail running shoes...:)