Valley Forge Loop

Thought about stopping in Valley Forge since it's conveniently on the way home from work. I've gone through a few times months ago and found some decent single track which is also pretty good for mountain biking. It's a pretty huge park with lots of paved trails and grass fields everywhere. Throw in loads of rolling hills and you've got yourself a workout. I went to this site and found a nice 5-mile loop for starters. I'm fairly familiar with the area, so it wasn't a stretch to find the starting point and I could easily keep my bearings during the run.

It was an awesome afternoon. Mid 60s and the sun still hanging over the tops of the trees. No music for this workout, just my heavy breathing and clambering foot strikes. I remembered reading an article earlier about the push to change running form towards forefoot striking to achieve better economy. I also remember a separate article citing all the runners who seem to just float on past at blazing speeds, all while seemingly effortless. I came to the conclusion that, without a coach, I'll just end up doing more damage than good. So I'll try not to focus on it too much.

I ran past a picnic area where we've had our company outings for the past few years. I always find it funny re-visiting places that I've been to as a kid and then again as an adult. My parents used to take all of us here when I was younger (4 boys and a girl) and probably get a kick out of watching us run up and down the hills all day. Of course now I know they just wanted a little peace and quiet on the car ride home and for the rest of that day. We were out for the count...

Kept a fairly consistent pace throughout the run. Stopped a few times to look for road signs, but nothing else. I wore the MT-101 trail shoes and stuck mostly to the grass, but next time I'll definitely go barefoot. It's all smooth, soft grass here. Gotta give it a shot.

5.1 miles in 41 minutes.