Got up this morning and met Kyle Knighton at the family cabin in the Upper Valley of Red River. Kyle is new to trail running but he is truly hooked on it. He has run trails in Italy and Switzerland, but has not finished a sanctioned run yet. He and his wife Emily live in Waco, and he got the bug while running in Cameron Park. He signed up for his first ultra, The Rough Creek Trail Run (40 miles), September 19 in Glen Rose, TX. He will do great.
We headed to the East Fork trail head and walk/ran for an hour on the East Fork, Sawmill Creek, and part of the Sawmill Park trail. We reversed our run and got back to the car in half the time. 1.5 hr run at altitude.
It rained, and the trail had several washouts and fallen trees. Altitude was a problem going out (Ditch Cabin is 9,730) but coming back was ideal. Cool, soft trails, and my breathing fell back in pace.
Kyle ran ahead and turned back to check on me a couple of times. I soon learned I have not trained adequately for downhill running/hiking. Will need that for Rainier for sure! Got some work to do there.
I enjoy running with Kyle (when he slows down) because we can talk theology while trail running. He's working on his MDiv so he keeps me on my toes both on the trail and my take on current theological trends.
Still grateful I can do this and that another generation of runner is on the trail with me.