Went Exploring
I don’t really feel like typing too much tonight so this will likely be shorter than a usual long run post. I had a bit of trouble getting up this morning. I think the previous early mornings caught up with me and my body needed some rest. I ended up getting out of bed at 6AM and got on the trail at 630AM. When I got to the lake I started towards my usual route but then decided to try something different and headed south.
For a lot of the run I found myself on the gravel on the side of a paved trail that felt really flat. I kept going off on little dirt trails that would take me to the river and end. I didn’t feel like I was getting a crazy amount of elevation but everytime I saw a trail going up a hill I took the opportunity…..most often it went into a dead end. Most of these trails were filled with spikey plants that left me with some bloody legs at the end.
With that being said, I completed my 20+ miles and got about 1,700+ feet of elevation gain….that surprised me. The river was amazingly beautiful. Folsom Prison is so amazing looking. I was taken back by how beautiful the facility was. On top of that the prisoners have an amazing view of the hills I was running in and a birds eye view of the American River…..it’s stunning.
I found some good trails with some good climbing on the way back but I’m not sure I will head back down that way again. Even though it was near the same amount of climbing I usually get it just felt flat and boring. The trail parts were awesome but the connecting parts of the bike path weren’t so fun. It would be an amazing bike trail for the family or a nice road run but that’s about it. I may be back, we will see.
