I have never been a good runner, though I wish I was. I love working out and cardio, but when it comes to running, I can never go as fast as I want to and I end up giving up. My friend, however, told me about an Ultra Trail Race in Pekin, Illinois. Trail races are long, with races ranging from 10 miles to 200 miles. The loops in the forests have many elevation changes, mud, snakes and even large spiders. Despite all that, the beautiful views and nature sounds make the trail 100 percent worth it. I finally signed up for my first 10 mile trail race and trained for a couple months to prepare, which was very challenging for me.
I began running on a few trails to find one that I enjoyed. I really liked one located in Peoria Heights and continued to practice there. The race finally approached, and I was very excited. I have never done a race, so I also felt very nervous. The race began at 7 p.m., so it was dark outside for about half of my run. I ended up truly enjoying myself, especially when I wasn’t running with or near anyone because I could focus on the sounds of the forest and my thoughts. In the end, I came in third place for females, and I finished in about two hours.
I am already looking forward to completing another race in the near future. I have come to enjoy running trails because going up and down hills is actually much more fun to me than running on a flat path. If you think you don’t enjoy something, sometimes it is worth trying it because you never know unless you try. I learned that my enjoyment from running on the trails doesn’t come from speed, it comes from overcoming physically and mentally challenging tasks.