The entrance to the Buckeye Trail from Boston Store starts with a paved offshoot from the Towpath Trail. As the evening sun warmed the asphalt, my footsteps disturbed its denizens. My progress was marked by the hopping away of grasshoppers that had alighted on the blacktop. The insects and their shadows drew parabolic arcs in my wake.
My goals were few for this run, a short loop out on the Buckeye Trail to where it meets the Valley Bridle Trail and back on a section I didn't think I'd ever run again after my first, hellish encounter. It turns out the gravel service road next to the Ohio Turnpike isn't so bad going downhill, as it provides a panoramic view of the Cuyahoga Valley, which is particularly spectacular this time of year, especially with the descending sun's angular light painting golden halos around the color-dappled trees.
Power-hiking the uphills, my energy remained constant. After the first major hills, my lungs felt ripped open, the air filling deeper alveoli sacs that had lain dormant since my last foray into trail running. Atop a ravine, a white-tailed deer bounded up the slope and darted across my path. Such sights reminded me why I like running in the woods.
Because trail maps lie, my run was a bit longer than anticipated. When the horse trail intersected the Buckeye Trail, my GPS app said 1.7 miles, not the two-something it was supposed to be. My intention was to run about three miles, and the way back was supposed to be a bit shorter than the way out, so I looped around the piney roots section of the path, which in turn resulted in an almost four-mile run.
Oh well. What's done is done. The good news being that what's done was my run. If today's weather holds like it's supposed to, another run might be in the offing. A short loop around some new neighborhoods seems a fine way to cap the work day.
Showing posts with label Valley Bridle Trail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valley Bridle Trail. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
From Trail to Turnpike
Thinking it would be nice to loop back to my starting point via the Valley Bridle Trail, my feet veered left off the Buckeye Trail near the Boston Store onto the gravel path.
The bridle trail meandered through a grassy meadow below the hills this runner had just crossed. The old Boston Village marks the confluence of the Buckeye, Valley Bridle and Towpath trails. Overhead are two highway bridges spanning the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Interstates 271 and 80, the latter being the Ohio Turnpike.
Far below the I-80 bridge, the Valley Bridle Trail turns left, the sign instructing you to use the service road next to the turnpike. Another sign says "No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Prosecuted." Someone was giving me mixed messages.
The gravel road felt like pure awfulness underfoot, with loose cinder mixed with giant pebbles and small boulders. Meanwhile, the sun beat down upon my shoulders, forcing me to further deplete my water reserves.
The unpleasant terrain may have been worth the trouble had the scenery been enjoyable, but alas the road was a mile-long hill that climbed up from the river valley alongside a busy highway at rush hour. Soon the traffic was a mere 50 feet from my left shoulder, as the trail finally veered off toward the woods. The horse riders can have that section all to themselves.
Despite the brief trip through hell, the trails provided cool shade on what otherwise would have been a hot afternoon run. Water conservation became a concern as my handheld water bottle was half empty before the turn onto the Valley Bridle Trail.
My legs started to give out on the uphills during the final two miles. I tried to make up for the lagging pace by bombing down the closed portion of Akron-Peninsula Road (aka Initiation Hill) and pushing myself on the final flat stretch to my car, but alas my average pace settled in the mid-13s. I blame that damned gravel road.
The bridle trail meandered through a grassy meadow below the hills this runner had just crossed. The old Boston Village marks the confluence of the Buckeye, Valley Bridle and Towpath trails. Overhead are two highway bridges spanning the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Interstates 271 and 80, the latter being the Ohio Turnpike.
Far below the I-80 bridge, the Valley Bridle Trail turns left, the sign instructing you to use the service road next to the turnpike. Another sign says "No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Prosecuted." Someone was giving me mixed messages.
The gravel road felt like pure awfulness underfoot, with loose cinder mixed with giant pebbles and small boulders. Meanwhile, the sun beat down upon my shoulders, forcing me to further deplete my water reserves.
The unpleasant terrain may have been worth the trouble had the scenery been enjoyable, but alas the road was a mile-long hill that climbed up from the river valley alongside a busy highway at rush hour. Soon the traffic was a mere 50 feet from my left shoulder, as the trail finally veered off toward the woods. The horse riders can have that section all to themselves.
Despite the brief trip through hell, the trails provided cool shade on what otherwise would have been a hot afternoon run. Water conservation became a concern as my handheld water bottle was half empty before the turn onto the Valley Bridle Trail.
My legs started to give out on the uphills during the final two miles. I tried to make up for the lagging pace by bombing down the closed portion of Akron-Peninsula Road (aka Initiation Hill) and pushing myself on the final flat stretch to my car, but alas my average pace settled in the mid-13s. I blame that damned gravel road.
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