Runnin' the Crescent Trail

Run: 10 miles in 1:15:13 min. @ 9:15 a.m.

Pace: 7:31 min./per mile avg.
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 71°F
Course: Northeast Section of the Crescent Trail in Fairport, New York

After dropping both my son and daughter off at their respective schools for their cross-country practices, I took a brief roadie to a trailhead for the Crescent Trail, just “next door” to Center Park in Fairport. (Center Park is actually where both kids run their home meets for school, too, but they were both being bussed to the away location for this Tuesday’s meet.)

While I have run parts of the Crescent Trail in the past, my goal today was to put in ten miles of trail running and using both the map to the right, as well as, my daughter’s somewhat cloudy recollection of running this rail for cross-country practice. A key difference to my run along a portion of the Erie canal this morning was that rather than being on the north side of the canal moving along a paved path, I was going to follow an “off-road” trail on the southern side of the canal; a trail which ran between the edge of the canal and the backyards of some people’s homes.

The course was not especially technical, but did provide some challenges, not the least of which was staying on the path... the course was well maintained but as I went West, there were not many easily observable flashes to guide me. At the point that I turned around and headed back East, the yellow ("Orange?") flashes were much easier to follow, so despite going back a different way, I had little trouble staying on the path.

I may not have run exactly "ten miles," but the humidity, uncertainty, and way-to-frequent equipment malfunctions (I'm looking at you Mr. Sliding-Hydration-Belt!) I did get a good workout in before heading back and collecting the kids...

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!