I’ve lived in St. Louis, Missouri for almost six years now and within that time, I have hiked pretty much all of the local trails hundreds of times. Even the ones not everyone knows about. At this point, I have every rock, root, and tree embedded in my memory it seems. I could probably hike them all blindfolded by now. This is me definitely not bragging and me more so trying to convey how much I loathe hiking in St. Louis now. Like listening to your favorite song on repeat until your ears bleed, I would much rather spend the rest of my life sleeping on a deflating sleeping pad than hike one of these trails. You think I’m kidding. I’m not.
These days, I usually don’t decide to hike one of them unless it’s with one of my dogs and I’m really bored or I’m with a friend. Instead, the only way it seems I can enjoy getting some time on the trail is by running on them. For some reason, running just makes being on the trail an entirely refreshing experience, one I can tolerate a lot more than being stuck hiking at a three-mile-an-hour pace. I have dabbled with trail running on and off throughout the past few years, but have always wanted to take it a little more seriously. I figured now is the time.
I grew up racing local 5ks and running on my school’s cross country team, so I have a good idea of what it takes to keep up with a consistent routine needed to build myself back into shape. However, it’s definitely been a while since I lived that kind of life and a lot has changed for me. Being in eating disorder recovery complicates things for sure, but I also can’t let that stop me from wanting to pursue certain goals. With my dietician and therapist there to keep me accountable and help prevent the sneaky, devious, rebellious sides of me from sliding into the darkness, I’ve been able to successfully incorporate a steady running routine back into my life. And it feels awesome!
For this post, I figured I would keep things simple and announce some of the plans that have been swirling around in my brain for the past few months.
The Ascent 5k
First up is a trail 5k race at the beginning of June in one of my favorite places on earth: the Red River Gorge in eastern Kentucky. I always try to go there at least once a year to hike and enjoy the local food anyway, so it only made sense to add some trail running to the mix as well while I’m there. The race is called the Ascent 5k which is a part of Kentucky's Red River Gorge Race and Adventure Series. Judging by the name of the race, you can expect quite a bit of vertical elevation gain. I’m not exactly sure what the course will be, but it starts at the Natural Bridge campground and should have some wicked views. Stay tuned!
FLATS Trail Half Marathon
The next race I have planned is the FLATS Trail Half Marathon in Kirksville, Missouri towards the end of September. It takes place in Thousand Hills State Park, which is somewhere I’ve never been before. With Kirksville being a few hours northwest of St. Louis, I’m excited to explore an area of Missouri I have not run through yet. The race is a point-to-point and offers plenty of aid stations along the way, so it should be a fun experience for my first trail half marathon.
Beast of the East 25 Miler
The last race I have planned is a bit of a stretch. The Beast of the East is a muti-distance race that takes place in Kings Mountain, North Carolina just an hour outside of Charlotte. Distances include 15 miles, 25 miles, 50 miles, and 100 miles. Considering I’m still getting my feet wet with trail running, I am aiming for the 25 mile distance. I have not signed up for it yet because I am still debating whether I really want to do it or not. It sounds super intimidating since this race attracts pro trail runners, but it also takes place in a similar area as the Foothills Trail. How could I resist going back there?
So far, these are my trail racing plans for this year! I definitely would still like to do some other adventures like backpacking trips, camping overnights, and things like that. Completing another smaller thru-hike also sounds very tempting as well. You’ll just have to wait and see!
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you out on the trail!