Wow – goals are great! I told myself I wanted to run 9 to 10 miles, preferably on a dirt trail – and that is exactly what I did on Saturday. I am lucky enough to live in an area where there are hundreds of trails that are maintained by the city and county of Boulder. Some trails are wide and flat, while others are narrow, strenuous, and very mountainous. Over the years, I’ve walked, hiked, and mountain biked across many of these trails, so when Saturday morning approached, I knew exactly where I wanted to go.

There is a series of trails in Boulder that encompasses a bit of all of these features. I started off on a wide dirt trail. It has a few steady, uphill climbs and a few gentle downhill descents. The next portion is rather flat, but follows a meandering stream leading to the foothills. The last portion is…well…an uphill battle. It is narrow, steep, rocky, and probably a home to a hungry mountain lion.

I had planned on running 5 miles out and back for a total of 10 miles, but that last portion was so steep that I stopped about .25 miles short. We had lunch plans in Denver and I was running out of time (and steam). So, 9.5 miles was fine for me.

I decided a few things after this amazing run. First, I needed a trail pack/runner’s pack of some sort. Second, I love running on trails. I had ZERO problems with my knees and my legs never hurt the next day. Third, I cannot wait to run this route again. Hopefully, I’ll beat my time! (Now, if only my ½ marathon was on dirt )!