Epic Runs, Right Under your Toes

 Check out the "Favorite Trail" feature on page six of Trail Runner magazine and you will find the description of a beautiful, wide open, perfect trail in some distant Shangri-La eons from your back door. Additionally, the annual "5 best trail towns" article never mentions my state, let alone my town or trail. Read to many race reports describing those epic trails of races afar; perfect rolling single track, through fairy tale forests, sprawling views, endless landscapes and bottomless waterfalls and you may find yourself wallowing in a bit of the have nots. May I suggest that you stop and look around, you may be pleasantly surprised about where you run.

 For example I have run on the rolling rural roads of Warwick, New York. Routes all over town of varying distances, difficulties and beauty. One of my favorites,  Sandfordville's Cross Country course a rolling hay field on the edge of town perfect for tempo, speed or recovery workouts. Another dubbed the Ochs Hill climb, a mile long hill to the climbs name sake "Ochs Orchard" at the top a mosaic view of Warwick Valley rolls out below. While attending a family reunion in Illinois, I discovered the endless looping trail system of 1,550 rolling prairie acre Shabbona State Park, a multi use facility that I have yet to see more than a hand full of people use. In the bizz and buzz of North Miami, I discovered 1,043 acre Oleta River State Park and frolicked on trails through idyllic tropical mangroves on Biscayne Bay. Northern Virginias 700 acre Blandy Experimental Farm along highway 81 offers an ideal location to shake the legs out while driving back and forth between New York and North Carolina. I can even get a run in at the in-laws, my father in-law introduced me to the Struble Trail in Downingtown, Pa. While you are running this trail along the east branch of Brandywine Creek you may be actually following in the foot steps of Joseph Plumb Martin; read "Memoir of a Revolutionary Soldier".

 Get the picture? Look around where you are or where you are going and you may find a "Favorite Trail" right under your toes. Beats wishing you where somewhere else!