Jeff and I ran for about 2 hours at Turkey Run State Park in Indiana this morning. We did this a couple months ago, but thought we'd give it a try in the middle of summer to see how well maintained the trails are kept. And to see how miserable (or not) it was to run in the summer heat & humidity. It was great. The entire trail system, with very few exceptions, is covered by trees so you are shaded from the summer sun. Even though it rained hard yesterday, the trails were not muddy. And none of the trails were over-grown. They must do very regular weed-wacking out there in the summer months. A nice bonus was very few insects (even though there was no wind). I was not tormented by a single biting fly or mosquito! While the drive over is a bit far (90 minutes) it was worth it...and I plan on making it a regular selection in my trail running rotation. I hope to recruit a few buffalo to do the the next run (maybe in 2 weeks).The trails are marked very well (and maps are available on the web). Since most of the trails are interconnected, you can devise a route that satisfies anyone.
We could have EASILY gone for another 2 hours and not been bored. The variety of terrain is fantastic--wide open dirt paths, narrow single-track trails, twisting staircases climbing up and down hills, trails meandering down stream beds and ravines, ladders, rocks, trees, cliffs, suspension bridges and covered bridges...this place has it all!
After we had been running for about an hour, we came across a small group of hikers...two of which were using Vibram Five Fingers! About ten minutes later we ran into a guy hiking barefoot. We felt embarrassed to have trail shoes when these other folks were going so minimalist. Next time I'm bringing my five finger shoes. I should have taken pictures of those folks--you'll just have to believe me on this one (or ask Jeff). After we returned to the car, Jeff tried a short loop barefoot as a cool down. It was slow going since this section had lots of small gravel and roots. Next time it's the Vibram Five Finger Shoes!
2 comments:
I fly out of Indy now and then. This will be a great stopover to and from the CU area; and I'll definitely bring my 5F's. Thanks for the tip.
Andy,
Print out and bring a map the first time you go. You have LOTS of options to mix & match different trails. You'll love it.
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