Trail running

If and when I run, as I've posted before, it's normally on the road 😰 or at the local track, going round in circles 😰. Once again, I only run when I'm not on my bikes riding or doing a Crossfit WOD / workout, so it's not often.

Several weeks ago, we were on holiday in Spain, my wife and I. So apart from a little swimming and on my Paddle in the sea, the only other sport I could do was some running.

So I ran, only three times and as always, only about five kms. Every time I run, it tends only to be five to seven kms max, rarely more, as after that I find it too difficult.

Coming back home after this five-day holiday, and after deciding I didn't want to do a crossfit WOD that day and as my wife was back at work. I thought I would go for a trail run, it hadn't rained in days, and my wife not being there (she still gives me stick if I go trail running, because it was a trail run that broke my ankle and caused the loss of my hearing seven years ago), I thought that I'd give it a go.

Anyway, off I went. Even seven years later, after my accident, with apprehension about falling and breaking something again. I took my time and ran a circuit in the forest that I know well from my MTB riding, and lo and behold, I ran ten kms and it was fairly easy as well, speed also good 7:30 km (I say also good, for me I mean as it's not really very fast), and not much slower than running on the road 7:05 km, less than two weeks ago, so a minimal speed difference. As I previously said in another post, I don't run, I plod.

Now why? I ask myself. Maybe it's all in my head?, or more like why I still prefer MTB over road riding, it's so much more interesting, plus it's easier on the body, grass, leaves, mud, far comfier than tarmac, also as you have to pay attention where to place your feet, so you don't trip up, so then kms go by quicker.

Pleased with this run, I did it again three days later with an extra lap, covering 15 km. I never run that distance on the road. It was harder, I admit. I need more training 😱. Strangely, I ran faster at 7:12 km, how weird !.

Finally, my wife has noticed that I'm trail running a little again. I think she's finally given up on trying to stop me from doing that. So maybe I'll get some more trail running done.

Update: In October 25, I went and signed up to run a night trail with friends: So I dug out my old Nitecore headlamp NU20 (frontale, in French), charged it up and went out running in my local forest.

Oh boy, I had forgotten how much fun this was, ran 5km, and in the space of 10 days clocked over 35 km, all at night, even managed to get totally lost in the forest while running. In the dark, paths do not resemble the same paths in daylight, but that doesn't worry me; it just adds to the fun.

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