I love running on trails. I enjoy the challenge of the uneven ground, negotiating the rocks and roots and mud and the occasional snake. I love the varied scenery, surrounded by trees and weeds and boulders and wildlife, snakes included. For the past 2 1/2 years, this has been my preferred running environment.

But then I tore a tendon in my ankle and had to have surgery. Several months after that I had tendinitis in the same ankle. Most recently I sprained ligaments near that very same ankle. (My whole right ankle has become my Achilles heel.) It’s been a long slow road back to trail running.

That road has begun here after each injury. Pictured is a flat and friendly course at a local recreation area. It loops around a lake and passes ball fields. This is where I go to start over.

Incidentally, this picture is of a section of the park called “Fishermen’s Lane.” I did a little research to find out why it was name that. It turns out that it is named in memory of two local young men who were walking along the railroad tracks to go fishing when they were struck and killed by a train in 1989. (I found this information at this link.)

Starting over here, this road needs to take me to a 50K in Hyner, PA on April 21, 2018. That’s right, just two months from now. The cutoff date to drop out and get a refund on my registration fee is in two days. But I’ve made up my mind to attempt to go the distance. It might not be the smartest thing given the shape of my ankle. But this ankle is going to be with me every step for the rest of my life. I better get used to it if I want to run long races. I’m sure today isn’t the only time I’ll be starting over.