On the Orange Trail

Today I returned to the orange trail. I’d run it a few weeks ago, but, learning from a friend that it’s not too difficult, I decided to give it a try again.

I took off from Valley Green and, after running about a mile, I arrived at the trail. At the beginning, I had to climb some steps, and thereafter the trail ascended a little further. I'm not sure if it really was easier than the portions of the yellow trail that I'd run: much of it I found to be rockier, so I spent much of the time focused on the trail itself.

Here, I think, may be one of the challenges I face when trail running. I seem to run harder on the trails than on easier paths like Forbidden Drive, perhaps because I'm paying more attention to the ground immediately in front of me than to my pace. Running the orange trail today also posed a special challenge, because it was unfamiliar to me.

I did follow the trail to where it ended over by Chestnut Hill College. When I arrived at Germantown Avenue, I headed towards Northwest Avenue and back onto Forbidden Drive. I can't say that I was tired, but I did wonder how I was going to make it back to my car over at Valley Green. Yet the return to familiar ground provided me the opportunity to recover and finish strong.

Now that I know where the orange trail begins and ends, I plan to run it in the other direction, that is from Chestnut Hill College towards the Valley Green. I hope that the two-and-a-half mile run will prepare me better for the return journey.