From the Road to the Trail

Getting "out there"

I had long wondered about Trail Running, it always seemed a little "out there":  running on hiking trails? You've got to be kidding.  9 Minute miles being considered fast?  And trail running is typically associated with ultra running (races longer than a marathon).  How could this even be fun?   Road running is tough enough right?  Well, to my surprise trail running is so much more enjoyable than road running you might not want to go back!

You might think that living near an urban area would mean a lot of driving to get out to trails suitable for trail running buts its been quite the opposite:  many miles of trails within a short drive.  A lot of them feel like "best kept secrets" of the D.C. area and serve as a welcome respite to the traffic and crowds typically associated with the Nation's Capital.

Now a high-mileage trail runner, my 6'2" frame is a
 mere skeleton compared to my starting weight of
210 pounds when I began running in 2007.

Once I was fully recovered from National Marathon I got back out there and slowly starting ramping up my road mileage as well as getting out on the trails; at the same time keeping up with the occasional spinning session, yoga class and strengthening in the gym.  I had been eyeing the Northface Endurance Challenge D.C. races - they had a trail Marathon, 50k, and "Gore-tex" 50 miler - I figued the Trail Marathon would be a welcome entrance to trail racing for me.  One day in early May I set out on a 4-5 hour trail run and decided that if I could complete it, without injury, and finish feeling like I still had something left in the tank I would sign up for the Trail Marathon in June.  I did and I did.

Race: Northface Trail Marathon
Date: June 2, 2012
Time: 4:16:20

Recap:  This was a completely new experience and I wasn't sure what to expect now in a racing environment.  The weather that day was perfect, dry and in the 60s, however the night before saw torrential rains in the area so the trial was a big, wet, muddy, sloppy mess!  This is such a trail thing - at first you tip-toe around puddles and mud and then after slipping and sliding everywhere you come to the realization its easier to just run right though every mud puddle.  I was pretty covered in mud and muck by the end of the race, even had a few instances where I completely ate it and fell on my side in a mud puddle, but no injuries came out of this so all the more fun right?!

Being my first trail race I was determined to start slow and stay conservative (good lessons to remember for road racing).  I traded spots with a few guys early on and settling into a groove about 7 miles in.  I caught up with a couple of guys a few miles later but assumed they would burn me later.  For whatever reason, they both started dieing around the half marathon mark and then it was I who would push the pace.  I gained a lot of ground and ran mostly solo through the next few aid stations.  Speaking of aid stations - another lesson learned on trail to be applied to road - I took my time at the aid stations, got a drink, a snack, refilled by bottles and grabbed some gu to go.  This pays dividends when you are out there on a warm day and/or for a 4+ hour race.

As the race went on a I stayed cautiously optimistic.  I remember being particularly relieved when I reached aid at mile 18, since the aid stations were much closer together after that, and because I was at least getting close to the home stretch.  I passed another guy at mile 20, and another around mile 22.  Ended up sprinting to the finish to snag 9th overall, 3rd place age group.  A successful outing in my mind!

Dean Karnazes giving some words of encouragement.
He's so tiny!

Posing after finishing my first major trail run.
I had already cleaned off most the mud.

Weekly Mileage - More is More

So after a few vacations mixed in there during early summer I kept at it.  Piling on the miles, hitting the trails, and doing back to back long runs on the weekends.  I feel like the trail saved me from hitting my mileage plateau and getting injured again.  I made a rule of thumb not to run more then 18 miles on pavement and have stuck to it.  Anytime I want a mega long run I will hit the trails to get the extra miles in, and back to back weekends mean at least one of those runs is all on trails.