Trail Run
You are not LaBeouf.
Today the fiancée and I trekked out to Buffalo River State Park for my run, a nice and easy 45 minute jog. Eventually, I’m sure the snowfall will render the trails impassable (or at least difficult beyond my enjoying them), but for now, the difficulty of the terrain is still in the “fun” stage.
When I originally took to trail running, it was as a recovering speedster. I had worked my way to a 90-minute half-marathon my freshman year of college in Colorado, and, at the height of my training, promptly took about two years off of running seriously. Naturally, when I started up again, I’d take every run out at the “glory days” pace of 6-7 minutes a mile. Points for consistency!
A combination of frustration at my lost speed and a desire to get out to the mountains more spawned a project in the summer of 2019 to run like crazy all over the Boulder area Green Mountain and Flatiron trail complexes. I really took to it, so added the NCAR trail system and Bear Peak to my list. Taking on some elevation as a “career” road runner was an exercise in humility; any “need” to run quickly was annihilated by the slow going.
Thus was born my love for trail running. Regardless, Buffalo River has a bit of sentimental value for me, so I hardly need an excuse to go out. The park is an annual field trip destination for elementary school age children, where I recollect getting to partake in the perennially cute pastime of frolicking on the prairie. Buffalo River is also the only place I demonstrated my ham radio accreditation in anger (RK0RKQ has long since signed off, and his license is extremely expired).
Today was a nice day…not particularly cold or windy. It was mostly cloudy, so the sun was mostly obscured. When it did poke out, enough wispy clouds dulled its radiance such that if you stole a glance its way, it looked like a perfect gray circle. Sections of the river were covered in misshapen ice sheets, sort of like loosely connected lily pads (though I’m sure not so hospitable to enterprising frogs). The tall grasses still poke out of the snow, brown with splashes of muted red. Quite quiet, save for a few birds, and a low-frequency rumble for about 20 minutes. My beloved told me it was a train.
My fine lady saw a deer. We both saw four turkeys. I’m sure if they know what holiday they just survived, they are filled with bravado and confidence.
- Mileage Today: 3.4
- Mileage This Week: 19.4
- Mileage on Lake Patrol: 19.4
- Mileage To Date: A lot.
About Me
Hey everyone! I’m John Christensen, the top-ranked non-finisher at the 2025 Never Summer 60k. I’ll be running the 2026 Grandma’s Marathon in support of the American Cancer Society, a nationwide non-profit in operation since 1913 dedicated to eliminating cancer.
The “Lake Patrol” blog will catalog my training and some of my pontifications and bloviations. I intend to use this as a form of self-coaching, as well as a record of my state of mind that I might appreciate re-reading one day.
If you enjoy the blog, consider making a donation to the ACS on my personal page, directly to the ACS, or to a charity of your choice.