CSprings Running Guide

I travel almost every weekend for debate, and I need an incentive to find time in a busy schedule to exercise at the AF Academy. It's not that I don't like to exercise, I really like running. My father was a marathoner, so I grew up running a-lot. For instance I ran my first 10K when I was 11, a tradition we have continued every year. I also ran competitively as a secondary and partly complementary sport to wrestling, losing weight, endurance. I actually made it to the Maryland State Championships in the 4x800 relay. Despite enjoying running the AF academy trails are extremely scenic, but a bit too hilly to run every day so I don't have much of an incentive to exercise. However the Colorado Springs Area is full of amazing running trails located at the base of the Colorado Rockies. I'm using this running guide as an incentive to leave the academy and run some flatter areas in the Colorado Springs Area.

Garden of the Gods Park
4.1/5

http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm

     After school ended on Friday I drove 15 minutes or so to the Garden of the Gods Park. The park has a plethora of trails winding around the random red rock formations that seem to characterize the geography immediately before the Rocky Moutains. At USAFA we have one formation, only about two miles north, that all of the Freshmen run to after recognition, once they are officially accepted into the wing as a cadet.

     I didn't reach the park until about 4:20 so I only had about thirty minutes of day light after taking a couple pictures. Once I began I realized that I wasn't used to the 7000 feet of elevation since I went to Slovenia for 10 days so I was huffing and puffing the first mile. After I re-acclimated to oxygen deprived Colorado, the run was enjoyable since it was about 60 degrees, I guess like 15-16 Celsius, and the scenery was magnificent. It is difficult to tell from the photos, but Pikes Peak is right behind the Garden of the Gods. It was nice to see the sunset behind Pikes Peak and the random rock formations.      

   I outlined the path that I took below. I started at a visitor center area shown in the photograph to the right This area had the most rock formations, it was paved, which I appreciated due to an injured toe, and it was relatively flat to run, but it is wasn't as secluded as the Scotsman trial. The Scotsman trail consisted of packed dirt which wasn't too difficult to run on, but it was a little hilly at some points, and there was some horse shit, but I am sort of used to it from our horse(s) at home.The Third and final part of the run was on the actual road that people drove on to see the rock formations, but it was later in the day so there were only a few cars. The road was paved, but it was a bit hilly, nothing like the academy hills, but not as flat as I would have liked. Through the three different parts of the run I think I ran 4 miles in 26:16. My favorite was the Scotsman trail despite the horse shit. It wrapped around the park on a cool ridge line where I could see the sun set on the Rockies to the left and the red rock to the right. The yellow region on the map below is where I would like to try running the next time I got to Garden of the Gods