A Typical Run in Niersbach

These are pictures from a run we took on my birthday. We have a few routes in the hills behind Niersbach that we choose from when we go out- depending on the level of my motivation, mainly. It's hilly around here- and the long run we do (not pictured below) has a monster of a mountain. The view at the end makes the pain ALMOST worth it. Not quite, though.


There are a bazillion disgusting slugs around here, and the ones by our place are about five inches long. I've seen shorter ones, which for some reason seem even worse to me. Above, I'm poking one that we found on the beginning of the run.


Until my surgery, we would try to run together three or four times a week, depending on N's schedule. I think it's been one of the things that has kept N and I so close. It's a much-needed time to get away from everyone else and just talk about our lives, our work, what we want to happen in the future, and what we (if I decide to help!) are going to cook for dinner. Now I'm sidelined until mid-September. I went for a walk yesterday, though, and because the hills are so steep, I think I actually got a decent workout!


This particular route winds us through the forest on an old, sandy road. The trees must be hundreds of feet tall, and the forest floor is mossy but otherwise pretty bare since it doesn't get much sunlight. We hardly ever run into another person on our runs (which is good considering I'm usually looking pretty haggard).



About a quarter of the time I have a really good run, where my limbs seem to know what to do and in what order to move forward, where my breathing isn't labored, when the time outdoors actually helps clear my head. The other 75% of the time I'm just glad to be done when we round the last corner. I just keep chasing that one-in-four feeling...


This route ends through Niersbach, with some family farms and horses and flower gardens. I hope Bruch has trails that are this satisfying and beautiful. If not, Niersbach is only a short run away!