A Run Down Memory Lane

Work got a little chaotic today and I didn't get out for a mid day run, so after work it was for a fun and very windy 3.6M around Bluff Point.   As I was heading out another runner was heading in.  I asked how the run was and how the wind was.  He ran clockwise and said when he turned the corner at the bottom it was a freeze fest.  I always run this one clockstupid, I like to finish with the down hill.  We chatted about the pros and cons of running the 'big hill' as he calls it first.  There is much more of a long climb if you run down the 'big hill' and your legs are tired for that last climb. I'll have to try it clockwise and see how it feels...

I think there is more of a challenge in the clockstupid direction.

The wind is coming right off the water for the first 1.5ish miles, a bit chilly!

I love this trail, sure the section I did was wide and not technical, sort of a Playskool's My First Trail dirt and crushed stone, a few rocks sticking up here and there.  I do venture off to the side trails on the East side and over to Haley Farm to get my fill of rocks, roots, and mud.

When I run this trail I nearly always think about the first time I ever ran it, June 4, 2010, the Twilight Trail Run.  The second race I had ever run.  48:19, I thought I might die by the end of the race.  My time for that same race the next year was 47:26.  From that day, June 3, 2011, forward pretty much every Friday afternoon I was out on that trail running further and further until I finally ran the whole damn thing.  When I run it these days I recall fondly the rock or tree or hill I would force my self to run to before I could walk again.  It is a nice reality check for how far I really have come since my decision to become a runner in January of 2010 and my decision to get serious in May of 2011.

Do you have a route or a trail or even a race that is this sort of milepost or memory lane for you?

Sincerely,
Beth, skipping down memory lane