Friday Trail Run - Shenandoah River State Park 3

I guess I should open this entry by apologizing to the two or three people who read this blog for my regrettable slack in making my regular posts. The aforementioned slack has given me a lot to catch up on. Enough groveling. On with the adventure!

By the title you can already tell that we went back to the lovely park on the river...............again. The trails are just plain fun to run on and the views of the river cannot be beat! This time it was just four runners and three happy dogs. Gary, Linda, Andy (who came again straight from a 12 hour night shift!) and I hit the trail with the wonder mutts. The weather was picture perfect and the hour we spent on the rolling shale and clay covered trails flew by. Something else that makes the time slip by so quickly is the fact that we are all getting stronger. The intensity of the run is a nice reflection of everyone's confidence and strength. Truth be told, I would personally rather ride my bike than run............that's probably the case for Linda too. Of the group, it's safe to say that Gary and Andy are the strongest runners (when Bob S. is not present). Andy actually challenged Gary to a race on the Appalachian Trail and they plan to square off some time in mid June. That should be a good one! Andy managed to snap a few photos with her phone this time. "Thrive Outside"

Friday Trail Run - Thornton Gap - AT North

Friday found me free of any obligations involving hot tub deliveries to West Virginia, so six of us met for an early morning run on the Appalachian Trail. We parked near Thornton Gap and headed north on the AT. This time out we had Gary, Bob, Val, Linda, Andy and me, plus three awesome trail dogs. The weather was ideal when we started and rapidly approaching warm as we finished. From Thornton Gap the trail climbs steadily up to a smooth, fast rolling section, lined and shaded by Pine trees. About two miles in there is a marker pointing the way to Pass Mountain Hut, where we stopped for a quick group photo. Less than a half mile later we were taking a quick break at the Hut, giving the dogs and ourselves some water. On our way into the Hut, we encountered three AT hikers who had apparently spent the night there. A well groomed service road was what we chose as the return route back to Thornton Gap. The road meanders gently downhill for most of the way, so all you have to do is pay attention to your footing and let gravity do all the work. Everyone seemed to enjoy this trail and I would have to personally rate it as one of my favorites. Another fantastic Friday trail run under our belts. "Thrive Outside"

Kennedy Peak Trail Run 23 Apr 10

Hi everyone. This is Gary writing in the blog this time. Howard could not be with us because he was in West Virginia helping Joe and Cooter deliver a hot tub to a trailer. This morning we had a good crowd for our weekly trail run, six of us! Two new members, Don and Val joined us. Don ran with us last year but this was his first run with us this year. Val joined us for the first time and did very well. She had been training for a half marathon so she was pretty strong, just not used to the varied terrain. Linda and Andy are getting stronger all the time. The weather was a balmy 43 degrees and partly cloudy. The trail to Kennedy Peak is two miles up and two back. The trail is roller coaster with some rocky parts, it is the last half mile that is real sketchy, very rocky. The three guys and dogs went to the top and then caught up with the ladies on the way back. Up at the top of the peak is an observation tower that you can stand on to look out over the valley. Quite a picture! Bob is an animal! Strong and fast! The pace that Don and I were running at was not fast enough for him so he took off and we never saw him again until we arrived at the trail head! As you can see in the pictures most of us were wearing long sleeved t-shirts, a little overdressed because once you get started you warm up real quick. I do have to say though that the Golite shirt I was wearing was very light weight and I was very comfortable the entire run.
All of our runs are easy going, no one gets left behind. Anyone is welcome to run with us, so just check the Appalachian Outdoors Adventures facebook page to find out where we will be running next. In a future blog I will write about the gear we use and run in and what we like and don't like.

Friday Trail Run - Shenandoah River State Park 2

We enjoyed the trails at Shenandoah River State Park so much the first time we ran them that we decided to go back for more. Joining Gary, Bob and myself this time were Andy and Linda. As always, Athena, Lilly and Martha came along, tails wagging and smiling from ear to ear. Yes........our dogs actually smile, especially when anticipating a run through the woods. Gary decided to put Athena on a leash for this run because of two recent "disappearing" acts she pulled. In her defense, she is half the age of Lilly and Martha and fast as lightning! Hopefully her being forced to run close to us will provide positive results and she will be "off lead" again soon. The up-side to Athena being on the leash the entire time is that we were able to cover more distance (Instead of spending time looking for her). Gary was wearing a pedometer and we logged 3.4 miles in just under 1 hour. Despite this being the first trail run of the season for Andy and Linda, they both held their own and felt good afterward. Extra attention to the trail was required because of deep hoof prints left by recent horse traffic, which happens when equestrians ride on wet, muddy trails. All in all the run was great and we will no doubt continue to explore the trails more this summer. "Thrive Outside"

Friday Trail Run - Shenandoah River State Park

This lovely morning found us on part of the extensive trail system in Shenandoah River State Park. Some great info on the park is here: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/and.shtml
There were three of us on the run today (six counting our faithful trail dogs). Gary, Bob and myself. Bob is the proud new owner of a Quintana Roo Tri bike that he bought from our shop just yesterday. During the transaction, Gary told Bob about our Friday trail runs and he eagerly accepted the invitation to run this morning. Considering the steady showers we had last night, the trail was in excellent condition. There has been much excavating and building going on within the park during the last year. According to the site listed above, there are 13 miles of trails in the park (6 of which are multi-use) meaning they are open to hiking, biking and horseback riding. Gary and I mountain biked here a couple weeks ago and I think 13 miles is a conservative estimate. While there are a few short but steep climbs, most of the trails roll pleasantly through the woods and along ridges, offering fantastic views of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. The native Virginia Red Bud and Blue Bells are in full bloom, making the run even more scenic than usual. We are looking forward to further exploration of the trails on foot and bike. Another nice thing about the park is that it is only a 10 minute drive from my house. "Thrive Outside"

Friday Trail Run (Jeremy's Run)

This morning was the season opener Friday trail run. We chose Jeremy's Run, which is one of our personal favorites. Gary and I unofficially started this fun little ritual last summer. We pick a different trail to run each Friday morning and post it on Appalachian Outdoors Adventures' Facebook page. Consider this another open invitation to any and all who care to join us for a fun run through the woods. As always, dogs are welcome. This morning we had Athena, Lilly and Martha (our ever faithful trail dogs) along for the run. Our access point to the trail is off of Vaughn Summit Road in Rileyville. The trail parallels Jeremy's Run and eventually crosses it several times before intersecting with the Appalachian Trail. It has become routine for us to run in for about a half hour, pause for a quick break and turn around to head back out. The water level is still pretty high from the recent rainfall, so we made a couple calf-deep stream crossings. You can take our word for it that the water is cold. The good news is that once you hit the trail running again, your feet warm right up.........all the while making cool squishy sounds. There are a few nice climbs at the beginning of the trail to get the blood flowing and lungs opened up. It's usually at this point that I am glad I didn't over-dress for the occasion. Standing at the truck before the run with nothing but running shorts, a long sleeve base layer shirt and light vest when the air temperature is 39 degrees causes you to instinctively want to add more layers. A decision you always end up regretting as you start to ascend the rocky trail, inevitably heating up. Overall the trail seemed to be in decent condition, with only a few downed trees that need to be cleaned up. The photos I took were from my phone, so the quality is not the greatest. Next Friday we plan to run the trails in Shenandoah River State Park. Call the shop: 540-743-7400 or email us for directions to the trail head. "Thrive Outside"