Trail Running Follies

Not that the ins and outs of my daily life are of particular interest to anyone, but I thought I'd used this space to talk about what I've spent most of the spring and this soggy summer doing, namely, trail running.

Being a lapsed runner, it's been great to get back into "serious" running over the last year and half or so. And, my quasi-resurgence has a lot to do with trail running. I've realized I really like to run, but I moderately dislike running on the road. But, I love running trails. Best of all, Great Glen Trails is one of best places around to trail run. Perhaps I'm a bit biased, but I really believe this. Every time I have the opportunity to personally introduce someone to the trail system, I jump at it. The mix of single track and carriage roads of flats and hills makes it a great place to train for any trail race around. But, I digress. Trail running is fun. Go do it.

Of course, I've been running in our Spring Trail Running Series. I haven't been racing the series, but weaving it into the training for other races. It's a great way to remind yourself to do some speed work. I don't have a stringently defined training program, so it helps even more. The first couple weeks of the series were right smack in my final preparations for the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge. I was attempting my first 50k. 50k translates to 31 miles, and I can say with certainty that it's a really long way. The race went very well. It was hard, and I suffered. But, I was very pleased with my result. Best of all, I was less sore following the race than I was after a 10-mile road race I ran earlier in the year. Ah, trails...so nice. Incidentally, Susan, whom many of you know, ran the 25k and also had a great race. I think training at Great Glen Trails has a lot to do with that...just throwing that out there. I also ran the Mt. Washington Road Race for the second time. And, while it's not a trail, it is contested on one rather large hill. This race didn't go quite as well for me, but anytime you run up Mt. Washington, you should be satisfied. On the other hand, our very own Sue had a great race despite a wonky toe and bear anxiety. She also trains mostly on trails. I don't think this is a coincidence.

More trail races planned for the summer for me, so that means lots more training on trails. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to race in the There's a Black Fly in My Eye, but I'll certainly be out training on the course this summer. Perhaps I'll even give it a real go one day just to see how fast I can go. In the meantime, the final week of the Spring Trail Running Series is coming up on Thursday. Hope to see you then. Or perhaps I'll see you out on the trails.

- Ryan