Maps and Outhouses

Trail maps: Get one. Outhouse: Find one. That pretty much sums up every Saturday run for me so far this training season. I seem to always get lost and always need a bathroom (note to self, no pizza the day before a run - even for lunch). Yesterday's run was pretty uninspiring - 5 miles, an out and back at the Hayward Regional Shoreline. I struggled, tired and sore from a hard week of strength training.

Last weekend's run though was epic! I needed to go 8 miles so I thought I'd chose some trails (easier on the knees). I found Lake Chabot Regional park.

There is a bike loop around the lake that runs between 12 and 14 miles. I'd heard about an "inner loop" for runners and reading my map (incorrectly of course) it looked like 8.6 miles. Doable. I dutifully woke up at 6:00am for pre-run breakfast and coffee and headed out around 7:30. The run was beautiful and I have to say, those are my kind of hills; gently rolling soft trails that feel like you're all by yourself in the woods.

I did however, as always, take a wrong turn. I actually missed the turn off for the inner loop trail and ran an extra 1/4 mile straight downhill, needing to turn around at the bottom and come right back up it once I figured out my mistake. And of course the trail that I thought was 8.6 miles was actually 9, so in the end I officially ran 9.5 miles....of hills. I was so proud.

Total time: 2hrs 30 min. Includes trail map download to phone, looking for signal, asking for directions and two pit stops.