A Trail where there is no Trail

Do you ever see something and wonder "why have I never SEEN that before?"

Had that happen Sunday afternoon on my long run.

As I've mentioned before, I've become increasingly fond of running on trails.  Dirt, not pavement.  Woods, not streets.  We have only one option locally and, being along the Wabash River as it is, it's under water for much of the winter and/or so muddy to be impassable.  I miss it.

And then I "saw" it.

Much of our city's 17-mile walking trail system on which I run look like this:

From Circular Logic Marathon Course Tour

Asphalt down the middle.  And nicely groomed grass on either side.  And, as I ran down the middle of the asphalt on Sunday, another runner coming toward me was running on the grass.  

Of course!!  Who says I have to run on the asphalt??  I can experience many of the good parts of trail running just by stepping onto the grass!  The unevenness, the softness, the better workout, the use of more leg muscles for stability--all those things, right there for the having and yet I missed it.  For how many years??

Better to see these things late than never at all.

Persevere.

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