TrailHonky

I was in Austria and Switzerland last week for work and managed to sneak in a quick 5-mile run one evening. I started from my hotel in Feldkirch and originally hoped to run on some trails. But after a few mishaps which included almost losing my balance and sliding about 30 feet down a steep hill, I decided a run along the sidewalk would be just fine!

View from hotel room in Feldkirch, Austria–there was a gravel path to the right of the highway

From my hotel I crossed the river and onto what seemed like a jeep road trail. I followed this for just a short while and it quickly dumped me out into an open are where a guy was playing fetch with his dog. I continued on a head along the now gravel road until I saw a dirt trail heading up into the woods.

River running through Feldkirch, Austria

The incline here was just enough to get my leg muscles pumping and I was feeling good. Though it was near dusk, I didn’t figure I’d be out long or have trouble finding my way, plus I didn’t pack my headlamp for the trip anyway. Soon I found the trail winding back on itself and I was nearing the top of a bluff where I found a collection of coins arranged in a star pattern (about 4 feet in diameter) and a few empty beer bottles on a bench. Odd, but I kept going. On the downhill, I noticed that my road shoes were severely lacking traction on the soft ground. I started to slip when I noticed I was quickly sliding towards what I thought was a tree. As I got closer (it was somewhat dark in the wooded area), I realized it was actually a large cross with the Christ figure on it! I regrouped and spotted a steep path that would take me back out of these woods since the trail didn’t seem to be going anywhere. However, I was about to be going somewhere fast … I slipped and lunged forward and had to take some huge downhill strides to keep from falling.

At this point I decided it was best to just stick to a known route. I wandered along a bike path that dumped me into a construction site and then through it out onto the main road. I headed towards Liechtenstein and out of Feldkirch at this point.

Along the way I passed several shopkeepers and restaurant owners closing up for the night. Traffic was pretty light and I was running on the sidewalk going into traffic. The speed limit was usually around 30mph so cars weren’t going that fast anyway. The road was always a gentle uphill or downhill, with more seeming like up on my way out.

As I got further out of town, I realized that I was getting close to the Liechtenstein border but I wasn’t ready to turn around yet. I noticed that a couple of bikes were simply crossing so I figured it wouldn’t be an issue for a runner to go across. I continued on my jog without being stopped or yelled at so I assumed things were okay. I must have kept going for about 10 more minutes before deciding it was getting late and that I’d probably logged at least 2.5 miles and could turn back and get in a good 5-6 mile run.

On my way back, I turned off the main road and went up a big inclined road I’d spotted to add a few extra “hills”. They weren’t really that substantial but surely better than all flat. Just behind all this, though, there are some seriously steep cliffs on the mountains–completely impossible to run!

Mountains near Schaan, Liechtenstein

The return journey was very quiet and peaceful with even less traffic than before. I passed a few people on the sidewalk who were out for an evening walk. I made sure I was holding a good pace going back up the gentle inclines of the road. As I got closer into Feldkirch, I decided to run back to the hotel on a little different route and avoid the construction site and the woods on the other side of the river. With dim lighting, though, I had to be careful of cracks in the sidewalk and places where it dropped off to the ground to be sure I didn’t trip and fall.

Houses and shops in Feldkirch, Austria

This was a really nice evening run with a ton of scenery. Though it was more of a road run, I still enjoyed the route and definitely liked the much cooler temperatures.

A lot of things tried to keep me from running today. The commute home from work took longer since I left earlier than usual and had slight traffic, it started raining really hard less than a mile from my house, and I didn’t feel like getting on the trail once I got inside. After I convinced myself to go, I noticed that the Riverparks trail is fenced off at 31st so I drove up to the dam on Riverside but couldn’t find parking. I finally opted for the parking lot adjacent to the bRRidge.

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My recent training has been really bad and I’m in danger of not being prepared for Lake Tahoe next month. I’ve been meaning to get out on the trail as much as possible, but work has gotten in the way quite a bit. This week was a real challenge with long days followed by work-related dinners in the evening, which really left no time for running.

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1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
More regular, much faster, and more painful. I used to train 6x/week at a 1/7th-mile indoor track at The University of Texas at Austin. I’d regularly run half-marathons on the track holding a ~7:45/mile pace. I can remember how painful it was mile after mile to keep holding this pace. These days, I enjoy taking it much slower, taking pictures along the way, and just getting out there to cross the finish line.

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Today is the first time I’ve made it more than one loop around LaFortune Park. Usually I burn myself out near the end of the loop and decide to just stop after three miles. So I throttled it back for the first two miles but was feeling good so pushed the pace just slightly. I made sure I held pace as much as I could, even on the uphills, and near the 2.5 mile mark, I was feeling really great.

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I started running at LaFortune Park this week after deciding I should look for other trails in the midtown area. The Riverside trail is nice, but it can be a bit monotonous. LaFortune is a nice 3-mile loop of mostly small gravel with a few asphalt sections (one 1/10 mile section through the side of a parking lot). Compared to Riverside, it seems a lot more crowded, which is nice to keep it interesting.

With the crowds, though, come the road runners. Nothing against them, but it’s just you’re more likely to run into the ones who are hell-bent on getting in their workouts and will not let slower runners get in there way.

On Tuesday of this week, I had my first notable encounter. I had not even gone a quarter-mile when I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming of being in Spain. At first I thought it might be the running of the bulls but then I realized it was just someone trodding very heavily. Not only that, but as he went around me, I wasn’t sure whether to 1) get out of the way, 2) offer him directions to the nearest Catholic church, or 3) point him in the direction of the St. Francis Hospital emergency room. Common sense said just move, but with the amount of “Oh God” I was hearing, I really expected to see him carrying a set of rosary beads. Then again, with the labored breathing and flailing of the arms, I thought he might actually need help. As he stepped over into the parking lot and quickly calmed down, I was comforted in the fact that he was actually just adding a little extra drama to his routine.

The following day, another encounter almost topped the first. I was approaching the section on the north side near where the trail curves back to go behind a baseball field when I heard an interesting mix between a cough, a raspy voice whispering “Help!”, and an asthmatic wheeze (no offense to those with asthma). I quickly realized that this was yet again another runner who was more interested in hitting some goal time than avoiding steamrolling other walkers and joggers in his path. I mean, seriously…on a path barely wide enough for 2 runners to pass comfortably, don’t expect me to utilize the eyes in the back of my head that don’t exist to first notice your dominance of the sport and then to sacrifice myself against a tall chain link fence just so you can get around. Seriously.

Anyhow, I actually enjoyed two great comfortable runs. The course does have a few uphill sections that get the blood pumping. With an abundance of parking and easy accessibility from I-44, I will likely start making this my more frequent route for short distances.

I wanted to get in another 6-8 miles this afternoon to help prepare for this Saturday’s 25K at Lake McMurty but I ended up just logging 4 miles. I’m having a bit of a seam issue with the Under Armor tights I’m wearing underneath my shorts. So about half way through the run, I realized I should probably just go for 4, turned around, and attempted a negative split.

I definitely sped up over the second half of the run but didn’t quite hit the pace target of 10:00/m I wanted. I’m guessing that I went slightly long on the mileage. No worries though, as I came in just a few seconds per mile off pace.

The new shoes are working well but I wonder what the cushioning will feel like after 15+ miles. They feel stiff on my feet and I have decided against this model in the past. So far so good though so I’ll be evaluating them closely this coming weekend.