Loop A: Breath-taking

Literally. Today was the maiden run on Loop A of the Trail. It was all I hoped it would be, plus much harder than I expected.

Previously, I had been risking somewhat the rule about the forbidden zone by taking an old, well-used four-wheeler trail on the far east side of this particular fallow property. Right here in the middle of Choctaw City Limits is a section which belongs to Oklahoma City. Knowing the development regulations are much tighter, I’m guessing that’s what killed the planned community. The whole thing has been fallow for at least five years, and it includes two separate properties. The southeast corner is a 22 acre stand, the lagoons are next to that on the west, and the trailer park is next. That old four-wheeler trail runs through the 22 acres too close to the lagoons

By staying north of all this stuff, I’m safe. Loop A is all north. It runs now up the draw from the bottom, and I got nary a scratch from thorns or woody shrubs. The new trail up through the band of woods at the top runs pretty darn steep, this at the end of a long slow climb up the draw. When I was still taking the old four-wheeler trail, it was a pretty slow climb up to the road, which itself climbed up to the gates of the trailer park, then the inside roads climbed slowly back up to the water tower, at the foot of which is my house. Now, it’s moderately climbing a half-mile or so, capped with a pretty steep zig-zag up a fresh trail, and the last 20 yards is easily a 25% slope with humps.

So instead of having enough left over to take a tour of the loops inside the park, making all the dogs bark wildly, I get there completely out of breath. It’s a really good work out staggered in with my longer road runs.