When winter comes around, that is my favorite time to trail run. I have always liked trail running, but something about winter, with colder temperatures, less people and some snow cover, it is very nice, and very fun. I also feel a little freer when running on trails in winter. I am a cautious runner, but something about rocks and tree roots being covered with leaves and the occasional snowfall, I let myself go a little more. I am still wary and I still pay almost too close attention, but when things are covered, I will let myself go a little further than normal.

With all that being said, I do fall even more, especially when the ice and snow turns to water, making the trail muddy and slippery. I had one such instance this morning on my trail run. Kirk and I started running together years ago, and we still get together now once a week, masked, and we go on a trail run. We do this pretty much every Thursday, and I love it. Running with my buddy is great for my mental health, it is nice to see someone outside my bubble once in a while and Kirk tends to make me push myself, which I need from time to time. But, I do fall quite a bit. Last Sunday I tripped on a ton of tree roots. A few weeks back, I rolled my ankle on some rocks. These things happen.

Today I fell twice. The first time wasn't all that bad. I took a corner a bit too tight, I tried to slow down, but I slipped on some mud and fell on my side. It was a bummer, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I got wet and muddy, but it's not like this hasn't happened a bunch. I assumed this would be the only time I would fall today. I was wrong. Sometimes on our trail runs I have had to ditch my glasses. I breathe heavy, and with the cold adding to it, my glasses fog up, and it is like I am running blind. It is actually better when I take my glasses off. I pay closer attention and am more aware of my surroundings. I need to start wearing my contacts again, which I plan on doing for my race on Saturday. But today I just didn't have the time to get my contacts in. I have to get my kids ready for the day, I usually do laundry, I make lunches and snacks, and if I am lucky enough, I can use the restroom before leaving. Today was one of those days, but I had no time for the contacts. So, after I had the first fall, and removing my glasses, I tried to be extra careful. But I am on a tapering schedule, and that means slowing down to almost a hike when I feel tired. At one of these moments, as soon as I started to slow from a run to a hike, I tripped on a rock that I couldn't see, and I fell chest first into the ground. The ground I fell into today was slippery, muddy and covered with a bunch of rocks. I hopped up right away. Kirk stopped and asked if I was okay. I felt fine right after the fall. I got up, made a fist to make sure I hadn't broken anything, and proceeded to continue the run. To Kirk's credit, he kept making sure I was good. I felt fine enough to run, so I did. But I noticed that my knee felt scraped. Then I checked my hands. The left one was fine, with one little scratch. But the right hand, I messed that one up. I couldn't tell at the time. I literally rubbed mud on the cut, covered it with my raincoat and continued to run. After half a mile I checked my hand, and it was definitely bleeding. Blood had made its way from the bottom of my hand to the top. I rubbed more mud on it, covered it up again, and finished the run. As soon as I got in my car, I put some sanitizer on it. That hurt like hell. But it immediately started to feel better. I then came home, cleaned up and bandaged the cut. This is one of the pre requisites, I believe, as a trail runner. You have to, at least once a year, get a nice cut on a trail run. It is like a right of passage. It is like a birthday, because it happens every year. I knew it was coming soon. I figured Saturday, what with it being a night race. But, I guess I got it out of the way today. And, even after saying all this, I will still trail run every week. I prefer it. It is so much more fun and way more technical.

Trail running rules. And even if that means scrapes that turn into deep cuts sometimes, so be it. I will never stop trail running. They will have to drag me off those trails.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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