Do you Trail Run for Fun?

Hi to all. I'm trying to find people who trail run just for the fun of it--not competitive, not ultra-trail marathoners, etc.

Do you trail run? If so, where? What do you like best about it?

Here are some of my favorite things about trail running: being completely alone; feeling the wind in your hair; not hearing cars or other human activity; seeing wild critters; witnessing the change of seasons; flowers; smelling tree blossoms; filtered sunlight; I could go on and on!

I run in the Kettle Morraine forest of Southeastern Wisconsin now, but I ran along the Rivanna River in Virginia for many years. Both are very hilly areas with stretches of forest and grassland so there is a variety of scenery and contour to the trails.

I have always run by time, not miles--that is, rather than say I'm going to run 3.5 miles, I just decide how long I'll be running. right now I actually do mostly walking (which is probably really cross-country hiking; it's pretty strenous, but I always finish with about 30 minutes of jogging). I'm looking forward to being able to run the whole "expert" trail someday, which is 7 miles plus. I'm not in a big hurry, however, because I'm well aware of how devasting it can be to rush one's progress in fitness. At 49, I don't want to lose time to recovery, which means I have to be very cautious about injuries, and I am!

MKC

That's the ONLY way I run. I hate hate hate road running. There's a nature reserve behind my house, connected to 100 miles of trails that run throughout the city's river valley and ravine systems and beyond. So that's where I go. But this is why I only run in the summer/fall--you can't really get down there easily six months of the year in the snow. :(

I too hate hate running on the roads. I am addicted to trail running! I run the trails in N california near a lake a few times a week with my dog. Because of injuries, I can't run every day, but it just makes the days I do run that much better