16 Miles Down The Trinity

I am training for the Fort Worth Cowtown Marathon this year, so I've spent quite a few long runs on the Trinity River. Typically, the runs aren't "enjoyable," as I'm huffing and puffing, thinking about how nice it will be when this is all over. However, my past run was truly enjoyable, at least for the first 10 miles. 

From TCU, I took the trail alongside Woodshed Smokehouse and then headed the way towards downtown. I noticed many waterfowl--birds I could not recognize. They looked like a mix of a duck and a goose and were dark in color, and they were usually alone or in small pairs. 

Seven miles in, and I had passed the town hall. The trail started to curve around the frame of the city, and on one side, you could see many developed skyscrapers, while on the other was a mix of undeveloped and abandoned land, mostly industrial. As I went deeper down the trail, the path seemed to sink below the city, and larger bridges towered over me. I think the bridges must be home to thousands of bats and birds. 

Soon after, I passed the old factory. Abandoned, and honestly beautiful. It had large windows shaped like extended semicircles, and it had nice brick patterns. Past the factory were stretches of plains dotted with sparsely populated trees, some of which were about five feet in diameter and one-hundred feet tall. Under the shaded areas, patches of condensed snow and ice from the blizzard quietly melted. It was only barely above-freezing, but the warm sun, light wind, and intensity from the run made it feel as if it was at least fifty-five degrees. 

Comments

  1. williams.dan76February 3, 2026 at 9:47 AM

    Thanks for taking me along with you on your run. I am impressed with your distance and training. Long ago I thought I would build up to something near marathon distance but never really committed to it enough to get past 6 to 8 miles. Good for you. I imagine it is quite difficult to be mindful of nature when training for a marathon, but at least there are occasional reminders..

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