I decided today was the day! I got all of my gear out and stepped out the front door.
In the past I have always ran on sidewalks, roads or the treadmill. But our new neighborhood sits right on the Ridgeline Trail. I just couldn’t think about concrete when I could be up on that foothill looking at all of beautiful Colorado. So I did it! I set out for my first trail run. I planned to walk out a mile and then see what I could do to get home. I may have jogged for a second on the way out. But that was it — one second
It was beautiful! The Rocky Mountains were to my right.
And the Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course was to my left.
I decided not to wear my headset. I figured it IS a warm rocky path in Colorado…
and there very well could be snakes and/or other wildlife. The only thing that got me was nearly 1,000 grasshoppers. They were everywhere!! And let me tell you – the hum of grasshoppers can make you listen really hard for rattlesnakes. There were a few places that I heard a rustle behind me as I ran, but I did not look back. I just kept moving forward. It was pretty windy up there and very sunny. I felt like the path was plenty wide for running. It may have been a tight squeeze in some places if I had passed a mountain biker or another runner.
So did I mention it was beautiful. Not only the views but the places where my feet were hitting the ground. How on earth does something so beautiful pop up in the middle of no where with no water?? No idea! But I took a picture!
Then there was the concerning and not so beautiful. I know deer. I know rabbit. I know bison. I don’t know this.
Just keep running! Just keep running!! I did manage to run quite a bit more on the way home. My pace ranged from 17:00 to 10:24. The 10:24 is pretty good for me even on a treadmill. So that number made me pretty happy. I ended up going out a mile and back a mile. My breathing was better than I had ever expected. Yes. Yes I was breathing hard. But I still felt like I could get air. When we first moved here I felt like my lungs were on fire when I tried to walk this trail. (It is at about 6,600 feet.) But today I just felt out of shape. I never felt like I couldn’t get the air I needed.
It was a beautiful outing. I hope to be able to say “it was a beautiful run” in a few weeks.




















































































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