09/28/2011: Stopped at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge just outside of Des Moines, Iowa to check out some "hiking trails." What I found was two loops of ten foot-wide pavement sidewalk through the beautiful tallgrass prairie. If only it had been a real dirt hiking trail it would have been worth the fifteen minute one way side trip. Maybe I should just suck it up and admit that the landscape was beautiful despite the pavement. Beautiful, being rolling hills covered with head high golden tallgrass, flocks of Red-Winged Blackbirds, and occasional groves of trees... Naw!
09/29/2011: Stopped at Cuyahoga Valley National Park just south of Cleveland. I think I found a new place to stop for a couple of days on my way out to the West next time. The trail system would be worth a trip in its own right! I did a 0:26 minute out and back hike starting at the Blue Hen Falls Trailhead on the Buckeye Trail and it was just what I was looking for! Nice semi- to fully-technical trail that travels up and down the rolling terrain. I remembered seeing this in the Spring 2011 Runner's World Special on "The Trail" and now I can see why it is so coveted by Cleveland Trail Runners. The magazine states that there are 125 miles of trail here and what little I saw is that the trails are pleasant and easy to follow at a running pace (which can be a difficulty in Eastern North America running). I will be back after some careful planning and research on the trails here (beyond the Towpath and Buckeye Trails of course). There appears to be a guide book to the trails in the area and I think I will be purchasing it soon.
It is hard to say how I was feeling for the hike. The pace was strong but I could feel that my toes will be the last things to give me trouble. There was a great deal of pain when I stepped forward using my big toes to push off. I bet flexing them was beneficial but I think I should take it easier than even the 1.5 or so miles that I hiked today. Near the end of the hike the ligaments in my knees and my whole right foot were complaining loudly. Time to ratchet it back on the active recovery. I am looking forward to soft couches and soft beds. Tomorrow, tomorrow...
Upon Arrival
Upon arriving at home I have had time to do some research. It turns out that when I was hiking the Buckeye Trail in Cuyahoga I was actually reconning a section of the Burning River 100 mile endurance run (the USATF 100 Mile Championship). The races is not hugely appealing to me, being so flat, but it might be worth doing some day if I am passing through at the right time (Late July) and feel like an extra challenge.
In addition to finding out great things about Cuyahoga, I am finding some additional places to run along the way that might be worth taking a small detour from Interstate 80 (though I am not really sure that I want to take Interstate 80 anymore on my trips west). In my large stack of magazines I am finding old articles that claim "The 6 Best Cities to Live in" or the "25 Best Trails to Run in North America" and the like. I am taking careful notes and doing additional research in order to continue finding trails for road trips in the future.
But for now I am still healing from the Bear 100. My left foot still hurts from time to time and I am waiting for it to stop raining long enough for me to start going on rehabilitation hikes. I am excited to start running again but I am going to make the effort to stop running for at least a month or so. Too bad because the leaves are changing here and the running would be quite gorgeous!
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