The training runs for the Laurel Highland Edurance run have been going very well. I'm doing regular half marathons. This was the week that my "formal" training program started. As it so happens I was in Phoenix, AZ for my brothers wedding. While staying with some friends in Queen Creek I located a great trail run on Mapmyrun.com (a great site that I have found extremely useful over the last few months!). Anyway, the entry for the run on the web site was a bit vague so when I arrived I wasn't sure exactly what I would get. Since I was coming from freezing cold Philadelphia I decided to fill the hydration pack to the brim and throw in a few cliff bars as well. I arrived at the San Tan Mountain parking lot around 7:30 AM. The next three hours were amazing! As it turns out the entire park is a cross hatch of trails. The main trail seems to be the San Tan trail which circles most of the park. Since I was running in the desert, new experience for me, I called my wife and told her that I would be running on the San Tan trail. As I ran I had so much fun that I took a number of side trails (I sent a text each time I diverted). There was only one stretch that I wasn't too fond of... the trails went through a number of dry creek beds and washes. The bottom of these was full of some deep sand. It was like running on the beach and I'm not talking about the fun sand that is hard from the water. It really gave my legs a work out. 
After about 11 miles I ran across the first humans... there were three older couples working up the side of a mountain. It was really rocky and I was frankly quite surprised they were attempting the trip. Then a guy came running past me on an alternate trail and he headed up the same mountain. I hadn't planned on going up the mountain but after seeing everyone else head up I decided to give it a go. It was way too rocky and rough to run up but I was a great thigh workout. Once I got to the top the view was amazing!
I ended up meeting up with the guy that passed me at the top of the mountain. He was originally from Minnesota and we started talking Big 10. He ran the last mile and a half and we had a great discussion. After 13 miles I arrived back at my car. I contemplated doing another seven miles but I had two issues. First, I was out of water. Second, I only had a limited time to spend with family and friends so I decided to head back.
I have to say that this was probably my favorite run so far. The solitude of the run, beautiful landscapes, and running in the Vibrams made me feel a real connection to what I was doing and where I was... I can't wait until it starts to warm up in Philadelphia and I can find some trails to run.
