The Temptation of Trail Running and a Soul-Satisfying Day

My friend Hyun and her husband are currently in Portugal. After sending a flurry of photos from various tourist spots, they sent a final message saying, "We start walking tomorrow," and have since gone radio silent. They are likely deep in the exhaustion and heavy contemplation that comes with the Camino de Santiago. Meanwhile, we gathered at our usual Sunday morning spot: Vista View Park.

Miami is famously flat—so flat it practically lacks contour lines. So today, we tackled the hills that once seemed so daunting, running up them slowly but steadily. Reaching the summit brought that "small but certain" sense of accomplishment—the kind that keeps you lacing up your sneakers. We ran into my husband (Status: Normal) and Kim’s husband, who usually outpace us, in the middle of the course. We ended up doing two 100-meter sprints and going up and down that steep hill a few more times. My breath was catching in my throat and my chest felt like it might burst, but as I stood at the peak, feeling the cool breeze and looking out at the peaceful landscape, I realized: this is what small happiness feels like. The 1-1.5 mile course has stands where you can leave water or light exercise gear. When you're running, you feel like throwing off even your hat because it's so tough, so having a place to set down a water bottle is incredibly convenient. As I was catching my breath after three laps, I noticed about a dozen runners gathered under the shade of a tree, surrounded by water and energy drinks, vigorously charging up the hill. Drawn by their energy, Kim and I went over to watch. Their leader approached us and explained they are "Bearly Runners," a group training specifically for trail running. There’s no membership fee; anyone can join freely via Instagram.

About Bearly Runners

Bearly Runners is a community-focused trail running club based in Miami, Florida. Founded by Carlos Osorio, it is known as one of the fastest-growing trail running communities in South Florida. They emphasize nature, mental health, and inclusivity—welcoming everyone from walkers and children to pets.

• Philosophy: "Leave no one behind."
• Activities: They offer Sunday Trail Runs (rotating through spots like Oleta River State Park, Virginia Key, and the Everglades) and Wednesday Track Laps at Moore Park for speed work.
• Events: They host unique experiences like "Everglades After Dark" camping, silent reading parties on the trail, and park clean-ups.
• Partnerships: They frequently collaborate with brands like lululemon, HOKA, and Nike.

Our Miami Running Club is really just a group of six close friends who run for fun, without a formal leader or coach. While we were hesitating about whether to try it, the Bearly Runners coach told us, "Just give it a run!" After a second of hesitation, I headed for the hill. The others, who had clearly been training, were zipping up and down like squirrels. Kim, who has experience with 18-mile trail runs, went up bravely. As for me? About two-thirds of the way up, my legs turned to jelly. I barely made it to the top, trembling.

Coming down, I was shaking, terrified of falling. The coach gave me some immediate advice: "Relax your shoulders (tension makes you lose balance) and spread your arms for stability. Put weight on the balls of your feet and head down in a zigzag." At that moment, I felt a wave of absolute trust in this coach I’d just met. After some cool water and a chat about trail running, we decided we’d join them next week. We sat on a bench near a Burrowing Owl habitat to rest. When I told the rest of our team about Bearly Runners, they loved the idea. We’re heading to Oleta River Park next Sunday.

For brunch, we had a potato vegetable salad that Kim prepared. We call it "salad" these days, but the old-school name "sarada" somehow makes it taste even better. We piled it onto pita bread and paired it with Kim’s special coffee—I didn't envy anyone in the world at that moment. The sun was stinging, but the spring breeze felt wonderful.

Nearby, photographers with telephoto lenses larger than my head were competing for spots to snap photos of the Burrowing Owls. Since we see them all the time, we usually don't pay them much mind, but seeing the photographers' passion made us look closer. It was funny to see them standing on one leg, and watching them dig dirt to secure a safe nest felt like witnessing a true instinct for survival. I was genuinely startled when one spread its wings—which are much larger than its body—and took flight.  

                                 

After playing and learning from nature until lunch, we hit a Korean market up north for groceries. By the time I got home, it was nearly 4 PM. For dinner, we celebrated my husband's "Kidney Stone Exit Day" (he's finally free!) with Fuddruckers burgers bought by Kim's family. My body was exhausted, but my heart was full as this long, beautiful day came to a close.

#MiamiLife #MiamiRunningClub #TrailRunning #VistaViewPark #SenseOfAccomplishment #BearlyRunners #BurrowingOwl