Running Swallow Cliff | TooTallFritz

This last weekend brought us ~~crappy, destructive weather~~ unseasonably warm temps and most of the runners in my area were out trying to enjoy it, the only way we know how …. running. What’s better than running? TRAIL RUNNING, of course!

Saturday, I had Swallow Cliff on deck. I had anticipated going alone to run two loops but much to my delight, I had two rounds of F’N Runners to keep me company. We ran the 8 mile yellow loop and were easily able to accommodate an early AND a late crew. 7am crew on the left, 8:30am crew on the right. No, I didn’t change clothes but added a layer for the second loop. The temps were cool with the drizzling rain.

Fun times. I’ve posted about Swallow Cliff before so if you want to see more pics or take a peak at the map, go HERE. Otherwise, below are trail pics from Saturday’s trip. I’m not sure why but I was surprised when I hit the trial and it was totally COVERED with leaves. We had to be pretty careful in spots because the bigger hills have ruts where water runs off and those ruts were totally covered by leaves. It wasn’t a fast trip but it was beautiful!

Trails, Bridges, Hills, Runners & More

Many of our runners braved the stairs too, either before or after their run. Swallow Cliff is know for it’s stairs which were originally built for the old toboggan slides, which have since been removed for safety reasons. However, the stairs are still present and provide area locals a great workout. The stairs are always busy. People are always climbing. All day long. Every day. Year round. How many trips up/down can you make?

Sunday I slept in with Michael, made the family breakfast, did a few loads of laundry AND THEN managed to get Aby motivated to run. All morning we had been watching the radar waiting for a “window”’ where we could squeeze in a run. When we left the house, the radar was clear and we were between storm cells ~~but that didn’t last long~~. We headed to Schubert Woods in Park Forest specifically because it’s a 4 mile loop which is the perfect distance for Aby. Plus there is an added bonus in that the trail possesses a short hill, which is decently steep and good for hill repeats. We have a very hilly Turkey Trot coming up so she needs to stay in decent shape and well, I ALWAYS need to work on my hills ~~because it is one of my weakest areas~~. Unfortunately, the bad weather rolled in before we got to our hill repeats. Bummer. Next week!

More details, pics & a map of Schubert Woods via my previous posts HERE and HERE. These photos below are from our run on Sunday. Love this trail, it’s one of my absolute favorites, and only about a 15 minute ride from the house.

Good run weekend. I’m currently training for the Huff 50K Trail Run on December 28th and the Disney World Dopey Challenge (January 9-12) so I’ll be logging some really good miles in the next month. Or that’s the plan. Let’s hope life let’s me put down the miles so I can enjoy both events, walk away with a smile, and earn all those January weekend sleep-in that’s I’m already planning! Smile