Play along: trail speed

By Laura Clark

Published: July 9, 2008

Out on the trail, dodging roots and rocks and bugs, I realized I could hardly call this “playing along,” at least until it’s over. Then, sweaty and parched, I could appreciate trail running—could even call it fun.

If fun can be running up, up, up a mountainside until every muscle is tight and your lungs send warning signals that your brain can hardly receive because you’re lacking oxygen.

In an effort to find new places to run, new challenges to get us in shape, Chet and I have been out on the trails of Amherst and Nelson counties the past few weeks. We love hiking, and trail running does include some of the joys of hiking: fresh air, scenery, stepping where you have never stepped before.

So trail running is hiking at a faster pace. However, any runner, road or trail, is not going to downplay the sheer agony that running sometimes produces. That’s part of the game, maybe for some even part of the fun.

Warnings aside, trail running is a blast. Unlike on a road, you hardly ever get bored and zone out. There are bears to whistle and clap for, trees to scramble over and puddles to jump.

A turtle the size of a silver dollar is worth a pause in the rollercoaster-like mode of running in the woods.

Of the trails we’ve run so far, I would recommend starting with Sweet Briar College’s Riparian Loop. Park near the Nature Center and head past the Boat House to the trail. It’s a 2.8-mile hiking trail that has some short, challenging elevation as you circle the lake and follow Williams Creek. The old-growth trees are a beautiful sight on the final half-mile, and the trail is well-maintained. Maps are available around the Nature Center parking lot, but if they’re gone, just follow the blue blazes painted on trees.

A run that will be a good challenge for more experienced runners is the area around the Lynchburg Reservoir off U.S. 60. We parked down near the dam and ran about three miles north on fire roads to the Appalachian Trail, then hopped on it and circled south along the east side of the Reservoir for another three miles, or so, and across the footbridge. This run requires a good map of the trails, as well as forest roads.

In Nelson County, there are several places I’d like to get to, including more A.T. and Fortune’s Cove Nature Preserve. We went up to the DelFosse Trail at Deer Rock, which is maintained by the Nelson County Parks and Recreation Department and located at DelFosse Winery in Faber.

One sign at the kiosk said the 5.5-mile loop covered 800 feet of elevation gain. This may not sound like much, but it was quickly apparent to me that I’d underestimated this climb. We plodded for more than a mile. In spite of the pain, it was quite peaceful and I enjoyed the damp, shady sections of the trail. However, the trail must not have seen much action since winter because the weeds were knee-high in places and getting more jungle-like as we neared the Y-section to loop around the ridge.

Chet was in the lead, and had been cursing through several spider webs. At the Y, he stopped and pointed out two symmetric webs glistening in the sunlight. Webs are a given in the woods, but we were uncomfortable running along an overgrown trail. Unlike hiking, where you’re probably carrying a stick and taking your time, it isn’t safe to run without seeing where your feet will land. (The parks department have since had a work day on the trail with weed eaters and such, and I plan to tackle it another day.)

You can run anywhere you can hike, which makes it a versatile activity. Take the precautions of going for a hike and see more of the country and mountains in less time.

I’m usually all for telling people to slow down, but blazing down a trail does wonders for the spirit, too.