Highlands Trailrunner

I have not done much trail running in my career, and that is mostly because I could also be called Highlands Clumsyrunner and, until my cataract surgery three years ago, Highlands Blindrunner.  Despite these handicaps, I have completed three races entirely on trails - the Dupont Forest 12-K (twice) and the Howling on the Owl 10-K at the Arboretum - and many longer races rudely interrupted by sections of trail; the Flying Pirate Half Marathon at the Outer Banks includes a grueling final mile across sand dunes, and this same section of trail comes mid-way in the OBX Marathon in November.

Mile 13 of the OBX Marathon Course

I thought that it might be more enjoyable to run trails if I wasn't racing on them.  So I decided to run the maritime-forest section of the Elliott Coues Nature Trail this morning; it has a good surface, mostly free of roots and rocks, and I knew what to expect from yesterday's hike.  I ran to Fort Macon on the highway, circled the parking lot, and slipped into the woods, suddenly engulfed in a tunnel of red cedar so shady that I removed my sunglasses.

I can appreciate the allure that trail running has for many runners; I marvel as I read J. P. Krol (in his blog High on LeConte - http://www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts) describe trail runs up and down mountain trails that I have hiked with difficulty.  Today's run was much easier than those trails, but at the same time I found myself focusing intently on the surface ahead of me, lifting my legs high on the wooden walkways; this unwavering attention to every single step leaves no room for daydreaming.  

We run on unpaved roads in Highlands, like Lower Lake Road, but there is something special about running on single track, all alone except for a sole runner at the beginning and a pair of women walking mid-way.  Dappled sunshine, the twisted limbs of live oak trees, terrain that changes with every curve of the trail.  It is a compelling way to enjoy this outdoor world that we are so blessed to have at our doorstep.

I knew from yesterday's hike that most of the trail on the other side of the road leading back to the Fort included a lot of soft sand, so I cut into the parking lot at the Picnic Area, having gone perhaps two miles in all on the trails.  There I found myself abruptly in civilization again - asphalt, striped parking places.  It was too beautiful day and I was enjoying the freedom of running off-road, so I trudged over the sand dunes and down onto the beach.  There I found no lines to run between, only the flat, wide beach at low tide stretching out before me, breaking waves on one side and sand dunes on the other.