long run away from home

This can be a tricky endeavour. Where to run, where to stop for food or water or a toilet...sometimes web-gleaned info is disappointedly out of date. And sometimes conditions rise above expectations. And sometimes both situations occur!

Today, we decided to check out the only (known to us so far) "flat" route nearby, along the top of a levee. There are hills here but also vast floodplains beside the rivers and thus levees have been built. We are still investigating the possibility of running on top of the levees close to our future home; during this process, we found out about a more formal "trail" along a levee in the town of Lawrence, KS. This is a ten-mile stretch.

After spending a couple of hours researching steak restaurants that specialized in grass-fed beef, I found out that there are none around here, but there is a burger joint which buys from local ranchers which raise their animals on organically-maintained pasture. This is also in Lawrence.

In general, I wish we were closer to Lawrence if not living in it: it is an interesting college town.

One drawback of driving to runs is finding a bathroom at the start. There were two supposed possibilities, but one was locked and, upon driving to the other, we found a rock liner where it might have been at one point. The levee itself is very exposed (picture a straight exposed ridge line with miles of views in most directions!) but it runs besides fields and intermittent wooded areas; we walked up to the top and started jogging. There was a couple with a dog shortly ahead of us, but we passed them by a mile and then ran down the slope (mindful of snakes) and into the woods. In the future, we will use a nearby service station we'd passed en route.

The run improved after that. The temps were about 10C and sunny with a refreshing but not battering wind, and the sheer scale and monotony of the levee system and the surrounding scenery was transfixing. At times, I felt like I was stationary, suspended in infinity--this is not a nice feeling during a race, but it makes a long run more relaxing. The sun was warm enough to cause distortion of distant images, creating an almost mirage-like effect. We'd spend a mile or two or so running up to things which shimmered unchangeably for most of our approach and then suddenly metamorphosed when we finally drew close. I kept mistaking posts and the water level markers for people, and people for dogs, and cyclists and walkers for runners, and sticks for animals (not just snakes); the levee was largely void of clutter or other beings, which made the beings and things there much more significant. It is amusing to be fixated on a single stick for ten minutes or so while running past hundreds on the side. We ran to the end of the trail and, since the levee continued, we kept on going for a bit more until approached by a dog which ran up from a nearby lone house (there were other farmhouses in the distance). The dog appeared friendly but we turned around just in case and it followed us for about five minutes. I suppose they had to end the trail on the edge of its turf! ;)

We passed our starting point after 59 minutes; we had a general idea of mileage because there were 1/2 mile markers on the trail, but we didn't know how far beyond the last marker we'd gone, nor how much before (and after) the first marker. We continued and gradually civilization built up alongside the levee; we passed construction, a trailer park, some other buildings, and finally ended up under a bridge. We had gone 1:16 by this point; our original intent had been to go to a certain park which was next to the levee, but the path was a bit diverted due to construction and so we turned around and ran back, past our entry point.

I was carrying water for all three of us and I've slowly come to realize that, though I can carry 2L of water for hiking without noticing it, running with it hurts my back. Even 1.5 L doesn't sit well. My pack doesn't fit my husband and alternatives are still in storage so we'll have to figure out how to get refills; there was a gas station not too far off at one point, and possibly a water fountain a bit beyond our 2nd turn around. However, the flatness and comfort of this route far outweighs the water concern. It is truly flat and relaxing, especially since the surface is dirt and crushed gravel and feels soft but not spongy. It's the perfect place to do a long run: we will get beat up by hills during the week, and then we can relax and unwind for a while once a week or so. Truly, the six-milers we've done were harder than this run.

A final bonus is the burger joint, Local Burger. They even have gluten-free buns. My husband had a bison burger and I had a succulent and flavourful beef burger cooked to medium rare perfection (most ground beef needs to be more cooked than this) and the most delicious fries ever...I think the last time I've been able to eat fries was when we were in Nfld in July so they were especially monumental. It was the perfect post-run meal.

Total: just over 12 miles.