I was reading an article about the trail system for walking, biking or running in San Marcos, Kyle, Buda and Manchaca recently, and it made me recall how running on a trail affected my running. In the early part of my running, I was so focused on time, how my breathing rate was, my leg muscles and pace that not much else was noticed. When the addition of ear covers that allowed you to listen to music on a radio station I gave it a try. The hard part in those early days is that there were times when you had to turn your head to the side to get better reception. Trying to run straight with your head turned to the left is a real learning experience. The other point for me was I was so focused on how I felt that I didn’t hear or listen to the music. I put the system on the shelf and let it gather dust.
My attempt to run and not focus on the time and pace of my run had me putting my watch on a table in the house. This way I couldn’t focus on my time, or so I thought. As I headed out the door I glanced at the clock on the wall. When I returned the first thing I did was check the time on that wall clock. It wasn’t as accurate as the time on my watch, but it was still a “timed run.”
Most of my runs were around the city streets with a variety of routes to follow depending on how far I wanted to run. I had routes ranging from three to 13 miles, and if I combined a couple of routes, I could manage a 20-mile run. A run out to Hunter and back to a loop from Holiday Inn to the Little League fields had a 13-mile and a sixmile run total. The one run I enjoyed the most was the trail along the San Marcos River. It started at the Cock House, ran to the Little League Fields, around the path over the bridge to a circle path in back of the fields and then back to the Cock House. The reason this was my favorite run was I forgot time, how I felt and just enjoyed the scenery of the river and the trees and the parks. One other run that I enjoyed was the run out at the Freeman Ranch. This was before it was closed off and the early part of the dirt road went through a longhorn cattle herd. We had various landmarks that gave an estimate of the distance we were running. If I remember correctly, the distance to the “switchbacks and back” was about 8 miles. Once again, the enjoyment of seeing the scenery of open space and wildlife made this run one of my favorites.
Reading the article on the trail system in San Marcos and surrounding area reminded me of those runs off the city streets. I recall years ago, when I was a member of the Parks and Recreation Board, how the idea of a trail from Austin to San Marcos or New Braunfels was a long-range topic at some of the meetings. When I read an article listing trails in the cities north of us, it makes this idea of a trail system from Austin to San Marcos seem closer to reality. It is still a long-range plan to accomplish and has a lot of details to be worked out before it happens. I can imagine there will be an adventurous group that will have a trail run already in the planning stages. The Purgatory Trail here in San Marcos has had several runs for runners. It is a favorite for walkers to follow. I have run and walked some of the distance several times. The one thing that keeps me focused on the trail and the surrounding bushes is there is the possibility of a rattlesnake enjoying the trail as well. On the Freeman Ranch road, I have come in contact with rattlesnakes, copperheads and one coral snake. That is the only time I found out I could actually jump in mid-stride over a snake. The rattlesnake was easy to see since it stretched across the entire width of the road. Those experiences are the reason I keep my eyes open on the Purgatory Trail.
I know there is a group of volunteers that work on improving and adding to the trail system here in San Marcos. They are always open to welcome new members to their group to make the trail system work. The main reason for mentioning running on a trail is that too often runners forget that sometimes it is fun to just run and take time to “smell the roses.” When a runner is in an open space or wild vegetation area, it is enjoyable to take in the surrounding area and enjoy the run instead of focusing on time, pace and going faster. With the plans for the “old” Quail Creek Country Club golf course for a trail, things are looking better all the time. Take time to go for a trail run and enjoy running at its best.
