This was a note I put on my fb account until a friend suggested I start a blog and I did.
This was from March 13th 2011...backtracking a bit but I wanted to make sure it was on here as the first official running blog I ever did.
First of all, I decided to start to note my trail runs as they have become more than just runs for me.
I write with stream of conciousness so if I seem scatterbrained in my notes is because I am.
I just came home from one of the fastest, muddiest, ice covered trail runs this winter. I am amazed at this run as I ran so hard and fast that I nearly puked at the end. I run with a group of women and men that run faster than I do except for one lady that is often slower than me but she wasn't there today so I was up for a new challenge..... when we run in the trails it's like every man for himself but wait up for the people behind you to make sure no one gets lost or is injured. I know it sounds harsh but these are serious trail runners and as much as we will slow down to chat and shoot the shit at times we also can take off, run that brutal hill and wait at the next junction for the peeps behind us. it is very different from road running. We are also very protective of each other and will stop to help navigate the ice together and hold branches aside so we don't get smacked in the face. now, you might thing it's rude to be running with someone and then mid conversation they take off and you;'re left on your own, but that's ok in the world of serious trail running. Road running is very different.
What's cool is that my strength is navigating roots and rocks, jumping over streams or navigating through them and major downhill parts of the rocky bruce trail, all this while still running and not stopping. So,when they have to stop and hike these sections they kindly move over to let me pass them and take off until the next junction, where they call me 'Crazy lightfoot' and pass me.
I used to run trails...when I was 23 I started. WEll, I should say that I ran cross country in school and was TERRIBLE at it. I ran for year from 23 to 29 in the conservation area and loved the fact that you are always either going up or down a hill and there isn't much flat anything in there. The hills range from steep short hills to long semi-steep hills that go on forever and you think you'll die until you get to the top and push yourself to keep going obecause there has to ge a downhill somewhere. What really sucks is that in Dundas conservation area, there are a lot of those hills and when you think you made it to the top you see that there is just a bit of a reprive until there is another uphill. There were a group of us who would run an 8 km route frequently and have social time together after. I stopped running trails during my 10 year hiatus from running but have started going out there again in the last couple of years.
I used to be fast...I could run faster 8 km in those trail than on the road. Now I have many more issues to deal with. Pain and problems from my car accident, and a 20 pound backpack of lard on my body that I didn't have before.I'm slowly shedding it, bit by bit but it does slow me down. I decided a while ago that instead of seeing how fast I could run a marathon that I would start to see how far I could run. Slow and long distance is what makes me happy. I really disliked road running and now I can barely stand it. I found there is an entire sub-group of trail runners that create many races all over Southern ontario...part of the ultra series. I can't stand running on sidewalks, roads, in the city, with cars around etc.once I have discovered that I can run in the trails in the winter with people. I will run on trails in the spring, summer and fall but runing in there alone in the winter is just plain stupid.
Ultra Trail running is hard, harder than I can explain. It is also the most rewarding running ever. It's like this: When I was a little girl, i could be found in trees, lying on the grass, playing with mud and dirt and then running through the field behind our house, chasing butterflies. I guess that's a bit of what I feel when I run on the trails. My running is faster, more efficient because I'm trying so hard not to fall down that I dont' feel the fatigue of my fast breathing or lactic acid build up in my quads. It's an all body thing, so you're never using the same muscles for a long period of time, as in road running. Your arms and back strength propel you up the hills and your arms help you balance on those downhills so to not fall over the rocks and roots or on the ice. When I'm out there, all worries are left behind. I see animals, animal tracks in the snow, hear the birds, watch the season change the way the forest looks and mostly...run as hard or slow as I want with one concern, get to the end of the run without falling down.
Today we ran 15 km. It was ICe, mud, snow, swollen streams and very hilly. I ran as hard as I could for the entire 15 km, breathing super hard and pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do. I ran some hills that I figured would get the best of me and they didn't. my trail running buddies were ahead of me for the majority of the run, but when the trail became almost un-runnable for the rocks and roots and streams I'd fly past them (at least it feels like flying) and we'd all laugh!
Our trail leader knows the trails like the back of his hand and sometimes it seemed like he'd pick a direction through the brush and call it a trail. We'd run single file and pass some 6 foot ravine drop on oone side and then further up, a 20 foot drop. This is the part of the trail where we all run together, waiting for each other to make sure we get through it unscathed. This is where I'm glad I have my cell phone with me, in case of emergency AND there is a gps on it!
Maybe now, it makes sense why road running seems so boring. I am running the around the bay in a couple of weeks and after that, I'm picking only trail races to do. I don't need to race, I am not competitive with other people but picking a race gives me a target goal to train for. Something that helps me get off the couch and run the roads if I have to or on the treadmill and cross train for.
I've heard people say that I shouldn't run such hard routes, that it is irresponsible and as a parent, I should make sure I don't get injured so I can take care of my child. I think of it this way. Some people like to ski, snowboard, cycle, mountain bike, play hockey, waterski, ski-doo, play soccer, go atv-ing, sky dive etc. All these activities could include injuries. I love what I do. I am fortunate to have good friends to do it with and good friends to cheer me on! I'm hoping I don't have to stop any time soon and I plan on doing it the safest way possible!
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