Trail Running Blog

Running Update: Trails, Hills & Speed

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It has been a while since I wrote a running update. The reason for that is because I haven’t had any breakthrough runs since my race over 3 weeks ago. My typical routine after a race is to take a couple of days off to rest and recover, then just continue running so that I don’t get too out of shape when it comes time to start a new training program. It’s strange because weeks prior to my half marathon, I was not really running very fast times, but I ended up running my fastest half ever. That trend has continued after my half, and I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m running in the mornings. It has become apparent that I am not a morning person. I never want to get out of bed in the mornings and am tired throughout most of the run. I don’t eat breakfast before my runs, so I think if I woke up a little bit earlier, the time I spent eating breakfast would help me wake up. But waking up earlier would involve sleeping less (technically), which I hate. I know people who wake up at 4 AM to run or have to endure ridiculously horrible running conditions (i.e. snow), so I don’t really have much to complain about.

Immediately after my half, I got the urge to run as many more races as possible. I have a 7K trail run in March, a 5K and half in April and my first full marathon in June. I don’t expect to PR in the half, because: it’s a hilly course and the last half I ran was most likely a once-in-a-lifetime race (I don’t expect to run that fast unless I really dedicate more time to running and training). But in preparation for the half, I have decided to start trail running (with hills!) and the 7K trail run will be a good training day for hills. But to make sure I am able to complete the 7K, I plan to run on a few trails on the weekends. I’ve found a couple nearby that sound fun. The thing I’m afraid of most of is getting lost/dying. But if I am prepared and careful, I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m actually really excited to start trail running and finally live up to the name of the blog J

I’ve also started doing speed workouts, sort of… My old coworker had asked me many times in the past to play basketball with him, but I always declined. I wanted to try and get back into it so I started going out. I was super sore the first couple of times, which made it hard to run the next morning, but I think I am getting used to it now. Playing basketball (if you actually run back and forth across the court often enough) is like doing very short sprints. I’m hoping this can help me build up speed, in addition to my base training runs as well as hill training on the trails. It sounds like a very well rounded training regime if you ask me!