Great to be out on the trails again!

Thanksgiving weekend gave me four days off work and I took advantage of the daylight three times with some great trail runs. With the daylight dwindling and the weather turning colder and wetter leaving the trails sloppy and uninviting I haven't been on the trails much. My training log says 2 days training on the trails and 1 day racing on them so far this month. 60% of everything else is eliptical and treadmill so Im lucky to actually make it outdoors this month. Thanksgiving break gave me the opportunity to get out there and I did and so did you or at least your friends did. The trails were loaded full of hikers and runners all over the place. Even in the smaller lesser known parks.

My first opportunity to get some dirt in my treads came Thursday morning. My wife and I babysat our 1 year old niece overnight so on Thursday morning we started cooking for the feast, playing with the baby, cleaning up the usual and getting ready for our run. Mom came and picked up the baby, food was cooked, prep'd and packaged and we were dressed to run by 10am. We hit Huddart Park in Woodside and ran a 6.5 mile loop that covered a huge portion of the park. We saw people hiking on the lesser known lead in trail near Raymundo Dr. We saw several other hikers and runners as we ran and I couldn't help but wonder why so many people were here and not somewhere else feasting. Instantly it dawned on me that they had spare time and a love of trails just like my wife and I.

Big Canyon Park, San Carlos

Black Friday Mall walking was my workout for Friday so my next opportunity came Saturday morning. My wife and I ran the trails through Eaton Park and Big Canyon Park in San Carlos. These are small parks with decent views, no facilities and just a few trails to choose from. Normally when I run through these trails I am one of maybe two or three people out here. This time we ran into couples, families, and groups of people out hiking these normally quiet trails. We must have passed 20 people over the 4 miles of trails we ran. I instantly remembered Thursdays run and the number of people on the trails and thought "I wonder if the daylight and weather has been keeping these people indoors more lately and this weekend is their perfect opportunity to make up for it as well." That means Im not as weird as I thought I was for missing the trails if these people feel the same way!

Sunday was my next day on the trails at Wunderlich Park in Woodside. I got the last spot in the parking lot and saw people just leaving up the trails to start their hikes. I knew the trails were going to be full which shocked me. This morning was colder than usual, the fog was staying around longer and the air was moist and heavy. This is not come outside and play weather but if you have the time and the daylight I say take advantage and apparently I am not alone. I ran all the way to the top of Wunderlich Park covering 5 miles and about 2000' ft of elevation. People were all along the way hiking these slopes. I ran different trails back down to the parking lot covering 75% or more of this park and must have seen at least 10 different couple and 3 or 4 families out for their fresh air. Further proof that I am not the only one who misses the trails now that they are not available whenever I want them.

The daylight is only going to get shorter and colder and wetter over the next 3 months. I have 2 planned trail races in December and some maybe races in January I am considering. Opportunities will only present themselves on the weekends and thats if the weather cooperates. Crosstraining is good for us when the weather turns but whenever possible, go out and log some dirt miles. I got 25 miles in three sessions over this holiday break and Im sure you got yours too or at least your friends did!
See Ya in the woods,

Jonathan

P.S. Over the holiday I also added more Gear Reviews, Routes & Media to their respective pages. Enjoy!