In the Dallas/Fort Worth area along we have around 30 different trails within an hour or two.
Last week after Christmas I had the chance to run two great little trails in Austin (which I will soon be reviewing!), but before I ran them, I had a bit of trouble getting any solid reliable information on them. Information like, where to park? How long is the trail? Any elevation? Terrain?
All very useful topics that I would have liked more information on. I of course did lots of "Google" searching but came up fairly empty handed.
I finally decided that I would start reviewing trails this week. So with that said, before I post my first review, I'd like to get some input from you guys. What would you like to have covered/reviewed?
A few ideas I've thought up are:
-Location (Parking areas, directions, etc)
-Length (loops? O&B?)
-Terrain (Rocky? Sandy? Roots?)
-Elevation (Climbing, etc)
-Overall Impression
-Possible Map
-Pictures
If there's anything you'd specifically like for me to review please let me know! I'm currently working on the first two reviews and should have the first one up sometime this week.
Also, I have updated my tabs at the top of the page. I have added a "Trail Review" tab that will take you directly to all of my soon to be posted trail reviews.
**Injury Update**
While I'm posting, I wanted to update everyone on the possible "extensor tendonitis" in my left foot.
Today will be my 8th day off in a row from running. Like I said last time, I've been taking plenty of Ibuprofen, ice'ing it 2-3 timex a day for 20 minutes at a time, and wearing an icy hot patch on it to work. I've been riding the trainer in the garage for an hour a day with some easy CORE work, but that's it.
The pain in my foot is completely gone now, and has been gone since around Saturday. I'm taking today off and tomorrow, then I'm going to try an easy 4-5 miles on the trails Thursday to test everything out and see if running the Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon this weekend is a good idea or not. If I experience any pain at all on Thursday, I will NOT be running Athens, and I'll most likely pull out of running the Rocky Raccoon 100. For now, I'm staying optimistic and planning on running a trail marathon this weekend...
I'll update Thursday night with the results of the run.
I'd also like to give a big congratulations to my friend Brian for finishing his first free standing marathon last weekend. To stick it out and run a marathon with the amount of training he had was impressive. I know it was painful, but he pushed through and finished with a smile on his face. Congrats Brian!
I hope everyone has a great week! Don't forget to let me know if there is anything specific you'd like for me to mention when reviewing any trails!
PS- As always, listen to the videos I post with headphones... or at least really good speakers. You're missing half the music with crappy computer speakers :)
PS- As always, listen to the videos I post with headphones... or at least really good speakers. You're missing half the music with crappy computer speakers :)
-Jacob
Jacob:
ReplyDeleteTrail review thoughts:
1. Restroom situation.
2. Contact link to ascertain if the applicable trail is open on that particular day.
3. Organization that maintains the trails and a link for donations.
4. If it's a state park provide a link that addresses fees/hours, etc.
5. Local race club that is closely affiliated with that trail i.e. for meetups, scheduled events, etc.
Just a few thoughts Jacob. Thank you very much for taking the lead on this. Commendable.
As someone who has personally been having a big 'ol pity party since mid-November, all I can offer is "hang in there!". Olga and I went on a "runcation" last week in western Arkansas from north (Eureka Springs) to south (Texarkana) and the only "run" I did took 2 hours for 6 miles on the OHT. So, I definitely empathize with the mindset you're experiencing.
ReplyDeleteI would not run Big Fork this weekend. I was just up there this past weekend (didn't run on those trails but drove on the nearby roads) and that hilly/rocky terrain will do nothing for you but risk making the foot angry. BTW, you are fortunate to be somewhat close to the Ouchitas! We found a hella good trail that we didn't actually run up at Mt. Magazine with some decent vert.
I wouldn't necessarily give up on RR just yet. You can still cross-train or even get out and powerwalk hard (if that doesn't cause any pain) for the same amount of time you would have been out on a run. And, some short interval-type work on a stationary bike. Hopefully, this will all pass soon...
Amen to Larry's words.
ReplyDeleteHere's a MTB site that attempts to cover all of the trails in Texas...might want to give it a look.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mountainbiketx.com/texas/trails/index.php
I just moved to the DFW area 10 days ago, and so any info on trails would be great, since I know nothing of what there is around here!
ReplyDeleteI've dealt with extensor tendinitis - it sucks. Here's hoping that you're in the clear.
Olga and Larry, I'm heading your advice!! However difficult it may be right now :/
ReplyDelete@ Jesse, if you need any specific information on trails, etc let me know! I know all the trails in the DFW area. Check out one of my old posts from a few weeks ago titled, "Trail Running in North Texas!" Good luck!