Slate Run Metro Park Trail Run. Part 2

Great Seal 10 miles. -180 ft / mile

Highbanks 4 miles

Great day for a run -  in between the rain....

230 Ft / Mile elevation at Great Seal state Park!

What a nice day to run.  Sugar Loaf, Bald Hill, and Sand Hill in a 5.5 mile run.  Almost 1,300 feet of elevation change!  That is 230 ft / mile.  That is about 50% more than Mohican or Zaleski.  No wonder I was so slow.  Or could be  - just out of shape.

Slate Run Metro Park Trail Run Part 1

Last Days of Winter at Mohican

Big Lyons Falls - Mohican Winter

Little Lyons Falls - Mohican

Rocks and Roots - First Snow

Logan Trail - North Loop - 163 ft / Mile !!

Logan Trail - North Loop - Tar Hollow - Part 4

Logan Trail - North Loop - Tar Hollow - Part 3

Logan Trail - North Loop - Tar Hollow - Part 2

Logan Trail - North Loop -Tar Hollow Part 1

Pine Lake View - Tar Hollow

Fire Tower Views - Tar Hollow

MUD!, Rocks, and Roots - Trail Slogging -Trail Mud Index (TMI)

Ah Springtime is almost here in Central Ohio.  Time to start ramping up that mileage as the weather warms up.  A perfect time to have nice trail run.  But wait?  What happened to those nice firm trails in January and February?  Now it is slippery, slide mud. Mud, Mud, Mud!

So which trails are the Best and which are the worst?  Here is my list for trails to watch out for and those that are SAFE.   I like running the horse back trails surrounding Alum Creek in the late Sumer through fall and winter.  They can be a nightmare in the spring and early summer.  Beware.  

Outside of Central Ohio I have found that Mohican, Zaleski, and Shawnee State handle water pretty well.  Great Seal and Tar Hollow are not quite so good but better than the Alum Creek Trails.

Trail Half Marathon - Clear Creek Metro Park

Northern Arizona Running

People I like to run with....

Trail Run: Rocks and Roots South Loop - First Snow

Almost 10 miles and 1850 ft elevation at Great Seal State Park

Another terrific day of trail running at Great Seal State Park in Chillicothe.  A nice 10 mile loop that included Sand Hill and Mt. Ives.   A slow hill run. 

Pileated Woodpeckers at Highbanks Metro Parks

Running at Highbanks today and got a view of not one but TWO pileated woodpeckers hammering away on the bottom of a tree.  It was pretty spectacular. I have seen them flying around but never that close and certainly not two.  The wild turkeys are pretty common there.

East Flagstaff Trail Run

I happened to be in the Flagstaff area yesterday and recorded this short trail run.

Tar hollow HILLS: 145 feet of elevation per mile on south loop of Logan Trail

Not quite up to the levels of Great Seal State Park (185 ft per mile) but up there with Mohican and Zaleski.  For me, it is the hills that make trail running fun.  It gives the variety in terrain and difficulty that keeps things interesting.  I would not run if it was just a road or flat asphalt trail - or worse yet a treadmill every time.  Of course those are all important parts of a training program.  it is hard to build speed with just hills but it sure build strength.