After living in the western United States for the first 49 years of my life, my wife and I moved to Vermont three years ago. Before that move, I never realized just how runnable many of the trails out west are compared to actual technical trails on the East Coast. Now I can truly appreciate the diversity of trails across North America – whether its for their buttery flow or technical difficulty.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I was treated to a fair amount of smooth, gentle and very smooth trails. In high school, I was introduced to trail running as a cross-country runner. We’d run along the Spokane River, often including a mid-run swim, and we didn’t refer to it as trail running, but that’s absolutely what it was.
Moving to the Seattle area after college, I found a nice trail network at Bridle Trails State Park. Sure, the trails were often muddy and ridden with horse poop, but they were gentle and runnable. At the time, I had no idea there was a 50k that took place on those same trails.
Then I moved to the Rockies, where I lived for five years, bouncing back and forth between the Tetons and Steamboat, Colorado. Those trails were magical, and that’s where I really became a trail runner. Sure, they’re steep and rugged, but they aren’t really what I consider technical (rocky and rooty).
When I moved to Central Oregon, I was treated to probably the most wonderful trails of all: they are truly butter. By then, I knew it and I very much appreciated it, and I never once took my backyard playground for granted. I loved those trails so much that I started a trail race, the Peterson Ridge Rumble, and celebrated the 23rd annual event in April of this year. Sharing those beautiful trails with others is one of the best things I’ve ever done as a runner.
After another stint in the Rockies, we moved to Vermont, where our big trails are in the Green and White Mountains. My knowledge from limited time spent in these mountains before moving here proved to be true: the trails are technical. Between the rocks, roots, mud and steep grades, they are basically hiking trails for me. And that’s fine. Not every trail has to be everything for everybody. I am very fortunate to have a great, runnable trail network right across the street in an Army Corps recreation area. I enjoy the trails so much that I started a trail race there (Triple Dam 10K) that also includes a river crossing. Between the Army Corps trails and endless miles of hilly dirt roads (I live close to the Vermont 100 course), those are the places where I get a majority of my daily miles. In addition to the trail 10k, I am also in the planning stages of a new 50k on the local, hilly dirt roads and trails for those who might be training for the Vermont 100 and need some similar terrain to train on.
I’ve never had great skills running on technical terrain, and I imagine I never will, but I’ll keep the diversity with where and how I run. Not only will it keep my body happier than just doing the same thing every day, but it’ll also keep my mind excited. And to me, that’s a big part of why I love running on all trails.