First Adventure Under The Stars
So, I have decided to take up running the trails. My friends do it, it sounds cool, and there has to be some sort of progression from road running to something else right?? Plus...it gives me another excuse to buy running gear.
Where else do you get crazy ideas to run in the middle of the desert at night? Facebook of course. I saw a post from a friend saying she was going for a night run at San Tan Regional Park and I invited myself.
So on a Friday afternoon I joined the rush hour traffic and made the 90 minute trip there. After 4 highways later I finally got there and thought "wow" You have to stop and just admire the beauty. It was quiet, not polluted by man or civilization.
It was a small group of 5, we took a selfie and we were off. It was still light when we left, but we were prepared with headlamps,flashlights and water galore. It is the desert you know.
The trails were fantastic. Each route had a name with signs. The actual trail was wide and we'll worn. Yes there were hills, rocks, and horse droppings galore. Lots of rolling hills (which I love on road running). I did find it to be more work than I was use too. A workout that I knew I would feel the next day.
As the sun started to set I was honoured to view some of the most amazing sunsets ever. We continued to run (well run walk run walk snap snap picture) and then stars came out. You can't see these stars in the city. We had headlamps...but the stars were so bright you don't need them.
Our 4 mile run actually turned into a 4.5 mile run and 3 mile hike. Definitely more of a work out than I was prepared for. Even though I wanted to stop and just curl into a ball I kept going because of the view.
Once we got back to the parking lot...we took an after selfie and off we went. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever gone through. After a week's worth of sleep I can't wait till next time.
