Today, I went with a good high school friend of mine to Mohican State Park to hit the trails, get in some vert (there are some extraordinarily flat routes close to home–I got 33 ft on a 13-miler once), and have a good time.
Woke up around 5 AM, did my mile shakeout (because imo morning runs suck that much less if you’re loosened up a bit going into them), chowed down a preparation of bananas, peanut butter, and honey on waffles, got my friend and drove an hour and twenty or so up to Mohican.
On this run, I tried out this running belt. Quick unsolicited review on that thing: the belt itself is quite nice. It’s one size fits all, and by “all” they really mean it. I was able to adjust the thing to fit my twig body without it bouncing at all. It comes with two 10.5 oz pressure squeeze bottle things that detach fairly easily and reattach very easily from the belt. The pressure from the bottle is great and the bottles themselves don’t bounce around even when full. However, there were times when they got in the way of my arms. The pouch is spacious and fit my phone, two gels that I didn’t use, a park map, an ID, and some cash with ease.
We hit the trail at around 7:45 and we are immediately greeted by a steep ~300 ft climb up from the river valley. Remember how I said Ohio was flat? That only really applies to the western half of the state for the most part. Once up into the depths of the forest, the trail’s topography flattened somewhat into a more gradual and undulating profile. We carried on for about 3 miles before realizing that we had gone off of our planned route and had completed a small loop in the forest. Ope. The forest was only now beginning to wake up: we had not seen anyone else on the trail for these first three miles, and the surroundings were absolutely serene and quiet. Not to mention that the temperatures were in the low 60s at this point in time, which certainly also contributed greatly to the atmosphere. 
Drama soon strikes! I trip pretty badly over a rock in the ground at mile 3.9 of our journey. That quickly changed the mood of our adventure. The fall left me with a gnarly gash near my right elbow and a less gnarly but far more painful scrape (and eventually, a bruise) on my right knee. It was now a race against time to get the wounds cleaned before they got infected. Yet we were probably several miles from a source of clean water at this point. There were restrooms at the start–3.9 miles back, and restrooms a little under 3 miles ahead on our planned route. Since I could still run, we decided to trudge forward: I did not drive up here just to get hurt and call things off early. My knee was definitely still a bit sensitive to the running, but it was far from bothersome, especially after a mile or so. We exit the forest around mile 5 and pass a campsite. A small road takes us 300 ft back down to the river valley where the promised restrooms were.
Unfortunately, once we got down there, we realize the water in the restrooms was not potable (and hence not the type one would pour over a cut). I pull out my park map, helplessly searching for any spot that might have clean water. Not before long, a red car pulls up next to us. It was a park ranger that spotted us, helpless and flustered. I told her the situation and she agrees to take us in her car to the closest water source. Funnily enough, she starts to drive up the little road we just ran down and tells us that there is water at the campsite we had passed. Parked cars had obscured our view of the water pump as we ran past. The park ranger also had a first aid kit which had, unfortunately, been “raided” (her words) and was thus incomplete. She asks a camper for anti-bacterial cream and the camper comes in clutch. I rinse my wounds, process what the heck had just happened, and chat a little bit with the park ranger as we drive back down to the river valley. I learn that the park rangers at Ohio’s state parks seem to have strong opinions regarding which state park is the best. For trail running, Mohican takes the cake. Strouds Run seems like a strong contender for sure though. On the other hand, Hocking Hills is overrated.
We continue along our planned route across a covered bridge (Ohioans definitely have an obsession with these, and I can say without a doubt that Ohio’s covered bridges are the best) onto the Lyons Falls Trail, where we were promised two waterfalls along the way. Unfortunately, both were quite dry, with flows perhaps rivaling that of drinking fountain. Oh well. Two more miles in the bag. 
^yes this was one of the “waterfalls”
We cross back over the covered bridge. The last four miles are flat, either on paved roads or on a somewhat technical trail that meanders along the Mohican River. Fairly uneventful, but just as idyllic as the rest of the run. The temperatures were definitely climbing on this part of the run, but it was definitely still quite comfortable, in the low 70s perhaps. Before long, we were back to where we started. The realization that I had run more than 9 miles of trails on a messed up knee finally sets in. Ope. As crippled as I have made myself, however, I am content and without regret, for the most part. I can definitely afford to take a few days off. 
Strava activity here.
Additional pitchers [sic]: 
ｏｍｇ ｃｏｍｉｃ ｓａｎｓ ｂａｄ ngl this is kinda cringe 
you just got… gnomed!!!!!!
tl;dr clumsy road runner gets hurt on trails and has memorable experience hd full 99% no virus guaranteed no clickbait must read be sure to like subscribe and leave a comment down below
*why does github dislike vertical images??????