A Trail in Nashua

I'm so lazy on the weekends. I have the hardest time motivating myself to get out and exercise. I've kind of had it in my head to take my rest days on Saturdays, since I really have trouble getting myself to do anything then anyway. So, I figure that way I don't have to feel too badly about myself for slacking off. Of course, last week I ended up with an unscheduled rest day on Thursday, so I logged two rest days for the week, rather than just the one that I had planned. I mean, I could have worked out yesterday to make up for Thursday, but as anticipated, that just wasn't happening.

I didn't want the whole weekend to get away from me however, so this afternoon I finally decided to venture to Mine Falls Park in Nashua, something that I've been meaning to do for a few weeks. It ended up being a nice change from my usual trails. I actually missed the official trail head since I right away veered off onto a more trail-y type trail. This was a single track that wound through the woods alongside this river or pond. There were some people out boating, mostly just drifting or fishing, but otherwise I didn't really encounter people on this part of the trail. It was relatively tame and would be a nice introduction to someone new to trail running, who would like to try it out. Anyway, I followed this trail along for about 1.5 - 2 miles until I found a bridge to cross that put me on the more main trail that most people seem to use. This is more equivalent to a cinder track and is about as wide as a road. I encountered a few people, most just walking, a couple riding bikes, but surprisingly, no other runners. At one point I passed this guy wearing a bright orange "Mine Falls Park" t-shirt and so I stopped and asked him if he was a member of the Gate City Striders (a local running club who hold a series of races on these trails). He said no, that he was a volunteer for the park. He asked me if I was a runner and I said, "well, I'm trying to be." He responded, "at least you're trying." Yeah, well.

So, the second part of my route was flatter and less trail-like than the first, but very pleasant. Soft cinder or dirt surface, completely shaded by trees, alongside the river and even over a little falls area at one point. It was pretty hot today, in the 80s and bright sunshine, I was running at 2:something yet it was still pretty comfortable because of all the shade.

Overall I was pretty pleased with the place and will definitely use it as a running option again. There are some other forks and trails that shoot off the main one that can be explored, so it might be nice to see what else is there. All-in-all I think I did about 3 miles today.