White Rock Lake first time
Posted on 24. Sep, 2006 by Brad in Gear, Training
Surface: Asphalt
Mileage: 9
Duration: 01:39:00
Pace: 11:00/m
Shoes: Montrail Hardrock
Today was the first time I had actually run around the trail at White Rock Lake. I decided to head that way after considering other Dallas area trails from NTTR’s website. It was a very nice run and the weather was great.
I started at the dog park on the north side of the lake. While this was easy to get to from Mockingbird, people were fighting for parking spots. I made a note to myself to go a bit further east next time and avoid the crowds. There seems to be plenty of parking to had in other places.
My main impression of the trail was the number of bikers out enjoying a Sunday ride. I suppose with an asphalt trail, this was to be expected, but there were some seriously hardcore racers out there. It would be nice if some of the fastest ones would take notice that there are walkers and families with strollers that need to be yielded to, particularly on the blind corners clearly marked with “SLOW” signs!
Other than the crazy bikers, this is definitely a course I will return to. I love that there are water fountains spread out around the entire course and the path is easy to follow. Though most of the trail is flat, there are a few climbs at the far south end parallel to Garland Road and near the northeast corner of White Rock Lake Park. On the east side of the lake, there is actually a constant hill; it’s called the wind. The west side did not have near as much today but at times on the east side, it was strong enough to blow sand at my legs and leave a light sting :-) It is good to train against the wind because it stinks mentally and physically to encounter it during a race.
My body held up rather well considering this is the longest run I’ve done since The Grasslands in March. I was testing out my new Men’s LD Fitness Shorts that came in the mail on Friday. I was also experimenting with Bag Balm instead of the usual Vaseline. Both get a big thumbs up. The shorts are not restrictive and the material seems to keep the legs cool. I love the back pockets and interior key pocket. Bag Balm certainly did the trick as well and was much less icky than Vaseline. Though it does have a bit of a menthol scent, it’s something I can deal with. It seems to have left considerably left residue on the inside of the shorts compared to what Vaseline normally does.
Since work has started, I probably will have to strongly rely on my weekend runs to get my long distance in. I suppose that it should encourage me to really focus on going for a good run when I have the time.
