Trail (Frolicking) Running

Trail running has become my new obsession and my access to the spring/summer alpine environment. Pursuant of the alpinism goals and achievements and iconic mountain photographs, I am propelled upward. I am constantly perplexed and interested in what’s around the next bend or over the next ridge. The action of traversing these beautiful places with efficiency over difficult terrain is mesmerizing. Sometimes I still think to myself, ``I can't believe I am/can do this.” The feeling of achievement and the opportunity to see these wonderful places is real and what really jives my gears. Happiness and maybe the runners high (hold the CO jokes) is what propels these ambitions. Nah, the iconic vistas and the physical reward says it all.

Living and working in the Denver metro area has granted realistic access to the weekend warrior status and the opportunity to great trails within a 30 minute drive. There are copious amounts of run groups and miraculously they tend to have a cool liquid refreshing beverage as a reward afterwards. And oh boy, do I embrace this lifestyle and love every minute. Postscript, Hazy IPAs are abundant and out of this world in Colorado. To be honest, all of this is a serious love obsession of the senses. I can’t get enough of it and trail running is that mode of transportation. My personal uphill climb running fascination is a different story and something that I am trying to understand myself. My friends say I am a weirdo but hey I see that as a statement of endearment. Totally embracing all of it at the moment though. Just hope my heart doesn’t have a beat limit that I am encroaching. It's a muscle and it's only getting stronger seabiscuit, the X Factor.

Trail running for me is a sport, it’s about having fun and enjoying trails, the mountains, and the natural environment. It is also about the discovery, discovery of the outdoors, the landscapes, and discovering myself, and what are my capabilities. I like to push it. I always have, and when that mantra gets into my head it’s a drive and desire that runs deep. That feeling is an identity and exactly what I have been pursuing and hopefully capable of achieving in perpetuity.

Trail running is very similar to cross country mountain biking and a sport that motivated me last year. Prior to the pandemic, I signed up for this race with my uncle and due to the pandemic, we transferred our registrations to the 2021 race. Completed the Breck Firecracker 50 MTB race and that was an endurance achievement in itself. Cyclocross is another type two fun activity that will be elaborated on at a later date.

But trail running is solely under your own power, your feet and the occasional trekking pole, covering as much terrain as possible efficiently. Due to the ban on mechanical elements in the Wilderness Areas, trail running is the way to cover this type of majestic territory. There is a joy in seeing as much as this beautiful planet as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is what I have desired since I have moved to Colorado. The wild wild west has beckoned me with the desire to see as much as this beautiful western landscape. With every adventure I seek those moments of gratitude and strive to truly live those experiences. Get outside and do what makes you happy while you frolic outdoors.

If one leaves the main trails and thoroughfares and ventures a few miles into the ‘backcountry,’ a fairyland of untold beauty unfolds in almost any direction.”

- Donald L. Baars