Thursday, March 27, 2008

Oak Mountain Park - Birmingham AL

I've been in Birmingham AL, Montgomery AL, Gainesville FL, Atlanta GA, and back to Birmingham on business this week. I ran in a park in Montgomery for 30 minutes just to work my way back into running after my 50 miler. Today, Thursday, I went to Oak Mountain Park to run trails. They have a website, and several trails to choose from. Ranging from around 6 miles to over 17 miles. I chose the white trail which is 6.4 miles one way. And of course I have to get back, so it is almost 13 miles round trip. I chose this trail because it sounded easy. Here is the description from their website.
"The White Trail, or the Shackleford Point Trail, is 6.4 miles long (one way). You must turn around and come back the way you came or pick up a connector trail to go a different way. It begins at the North Trail head and follows a path similar to the Blue Trail but at a lower elevation. The White Trail does climb to the highest point in the park, which is known as Shackleford Point at an elevation of 1,260 feet. The White Trail ends at the Peavine Falls parking lot."
I also chose it because it said it was similar to the Blue trail, but at a lower elevation. Now I also saw the part about climbing to the highest point in the park, but I didn't reconcile those two statements. In my mind this was a low elevation course. Wrong, this was the most technical course I've ever run. It was full of roots, rocks and lots of steep ascents and then descents. I did run all the way to the end, and then wanted to return at a faster pace. I will say this is a well marked trail. While it was harder than I thought it would be, I never felt like I was lost. I encountered a few hikers, and three very friendly dogs. They did worry me at first because they came running to me. Anyway it was a good run, I feel good, and I'm heading home tomorrow. I'll probably run with the running club Saturday, they're running 14 miles on hills.

1 comment:

DawnB said...

busy week, congratulations on your 50 miler