Trail Running

Last year, I started running. Literally running, not figuratively. I scheduled a backcountry elk hunt in Colorado last fall and thought I needed to get myself in shape. Our hunt would begin with a five-mile hike at ten thousand feet or so with sixty-pound packs. We would be hunting for six days in the backcountry with only what we had on our backs to support us. I thought I needed to be in shape for this hunt based on my experience two years prior on another Colorado elk hunt.

I’ve been going to Colorado for years and had, in fact, lived in Colorado Springs when I was a youngster while my father attended seminary. Foolishly, I thought my history with the state made me mostly immune to the need for conditioning and the effects of altitude. I’ve never had altitude issues and I even went so far as to gently poke fun of my wife (I know…horrible husband) when she was suffering from altitude sickness on Pikes Peak several years ago. My perspective on altitude and conditioning changed two elk hunts ago.

On this backcountry hunt several years ago, we rode horses several miles into the backcountry where our outfitter had already set up camp for us. The outfitter left us at camp and each day we’d set out under leg power to hike the mountains in search of elk. Several days into the hunt, a couple of my fellow hunters found me sitting on a hillside describing the individual floats in the Mizzou Homecoming Parade stretched out below us. In the mountains. Clearly, I was not immune to the need for conditioning, especially at altitude.

Fast forward to last year, I knew I needed to get myself into shape for my next upcoming elk hunt. I began running on the MKT trail, which conveniently is located just north of my home in Columbia. A former right-of-way for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad, the MKT trail leaves the Katy Trail at McBaine, MO and travels through Columbia to the downtown district. The trail is a solid bed of compressed gravel that makes a great travel route and is busy with runners and bikers practically every day.

Running the MKT helped with conditioning, but not with altitude and was about as boring as I could imagine. Weaving around other people on the trail and sometimes wildlife like deer and ducks was about as exciting as it got. I was in better shape last year for my elk hunt, but not the shape I wanted to be in.

This year, a running friend suggested we try trail running at a nearby state park. Rock Bridge State Park is located just south of Columbia and features eight different trails, from a half-mile to over eight miles each. Trails are literally cut through the woods, up cliff ridges and over and through creeks. Trails are clearly marked and, while it is easy to get turned around, it’s pretty much impossible to get lost in the park.

Trail running has changed the way I think about running. It requires a lot more concentration when you’re running full speed down a hillside trail dodging roots, rocks and tree stumps. The constant change keeps me on my toes and paying attention to what is coming next. A lot of wildlife call Rock Bridge home, but I try not to pay too much attention as I’ve literally run into trees watching deer in the park.

After significant rainfall, like we’ve had this spring, running becomes even more challenging. Creek crossings are deeper and mud can be a thick, gooey mess to run through. The last several weeks we’ve had to deal with 50-yard stretches of 8-inches of water across the trail and we’ve even found dead fish littering the trail from where the flood carried them.

However, these conditions make this a really enjoyable run for me. While I’m still not very fast (sub 10-minute miles) on the trail, my stamina and balance are improved and I notice my ankles are much stronger. And while trail running in Missouri doesn’t help with altitude acclimation, trail running has made running fun.

My running group usually runs the trails in the early mornings and the accountability for meeting them ensures I’m there at least three times a week. I still use the MKT, but usually just for biking on my days off from running or an evening walk with my wife. Tonight, I’ll even use the MKT to bike downtown to meet friends, but I’m saving my running time for real trails now.