I've decided to make a regular habit of running on the cross-country nature trails at UT Tyler during the week and sticking to my neighborhood on weekends. I work at UT Tyler in the archives, so this makes it easy to get in a quick run before I get home (and get all nappy).
I love trail running because it lets me feel like a wild woman, bounding over sticks and stones as I dodge overhead branches. The atmosphere is beautiful (also, cooler temperatures) and I feel much more mentally engaged. Trail running is not *easier* than road running by any means; it requires significantly more effort to cover the same mileage, and my body has to constantly readjust to the demands of the trail.
I'm hoping that the elevated effort will pay off on Saturday when my husband and I return to the road. We'll be ramping up from 10/3/10 to straight 22min run.
Wednesday's run was very successful (you can see my log on Daily Mile). I'm pretty nervous about jumping up to 22 continuous minutes. The biggest obstacle I expect to face on Saturday will be mental - convincing myself that I CAN do it, even if I haven't run that long continuously in months (since the last time I injured my groin). I know training my brain will be critical for success in the Tyler Half Marathon.
In order to reward my brain, I am going to set up some "prizes" for myself over the course of the training. These prizes will be set up on a monthly basis, contingent upon successful completion of my training schedule. So, watch for a wishlist later this week.
(PS)
I have to confess to my sometimes readers that I fell behind this week on cross-training. I skipped my Tuesday karate class. Very lame. It was beginning to storm around the time I was supposed to leave, and I got really panicky at the idea of driving in the rain. So, I stayed home, had a mild panic attack, and took a nap. Did I go work out later? No. Even more lame. Anyway, I have a chance to make up for that tonight. Just thought I should share, to stay accountable.
Sam, great work :) keep it up!
ReplyDeleteAlso, and I'm sure you are well aware of this, trail running is essential for people like us who have potential lower leg issues we have to watch. Asphalt is something like ten times harder than grass, and cement is about ten times harder than asphalt -- which means in terms of joint and bone impact, trail running has the potential to give our joints a major break, even while it strengthens our musculature (due to the constant adjustment of uneven surfaces).
Proud as hell of you :) rock it!
-zac
Thanks Zac! You hit on all the elements of trail running that I really love, except one: it's super fun! Conditioning the supporting muscles in my lower body and core is one of the most important elements of trail running for me. The only danger I face is doing too much too soon. Thank you for the encouragement, dear friend!
ReplyDeleteTruckin' along,
Sam
Good Job Sam! Are the nature trails a recent addition? I knew there were supposed to be some before that weren't really marked well. I'm pretty behind on any revamping UT has done in the past year or two though.
ReplyDeleteAshley
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI don't know that they've added any markings to the trail, but I've never had an issue with them. We just kind of run around till our time is up. They don't have the distances marked.
The trails have been there as long as I've been on campus. You should check them out!