Year: 2021

I don’t typically run on trails. I hike quite often but at a sensible pace and not leaping over rocks and roots. Last summer we did our first trail race, documented for posterity here. Deciding that 6 miles in the woods left too little opportunity for injury, I signed my husband and myself up for am 8 mile race aptly named the “Crazy 8.”

In the pro column, the weather was beautiful, much cooler than it could have been. Also, it was not up the side of a mountain. On the con side, most of the race was on what I later learned were “black diamond” mountain bike trails. I ran up and down hills, sharp turns, roots and rocks running like the snotty nosed girl in the Blair Witch Project through a deep forest.

How does a 40 something year old transition to trail running when road running is your main focus?

I will let you know after I actually train for a trail run. The weather in the weeks leading to the race was very, very hot and humid, even for Virginia. I really couldn’t bring myself to run more than 5 or 6 miles at a time. I went into this race with a mindset that I would likely need to walk and had made peace with my inadequate training. We were told to assume 2 minutes per mile off of our normal race pace which for me would put me around 10 min mile using 5k pace but I really didn’t have a good reference for 8 miles so I assumed my 10 mile pace which when adjusted would be more like 11 min/mile.

I don’t understand how people can drink water when then run. If I drink water, even a sip within an hour and half of running I may as well throw myself on the ground doubled over with cramps. Maybe, like the grinch’s heart, my esophagus is 2 sizes too small? I can feel liquid sloshing around in there for hours. There were several water stations, I passed each hoping I wouldn’t be seized by a sudden and insatiable thirst. I wound up really enjoying the race, there is something soothing about running in the woods, I was alone for several miles but did mange to have a nice conversation with a runner for a mile or 2 in the middle portion of the race. The combination of sunlight and shadow coupled with the soft pine needles beneath my feet was a welcome change from the pounding of shoes on hot pavement.

I would love to say I did not fall. Technically nobody saw me fall so I guess it I could say it never happened. The only thing I wounded was my pride mixed with a little dirt here and there. The real lesson here is that roots look an awful lot like sticks but they do not move. The roots always win.

So what’s the verdict about trying out a longer trail run?

To me, the distance was not as much of an obstacle as I anticipated it would be. The undulating terrain was my bigger challenge and I could feel some strain on my ankles and calves. I run pretty regularly on a fairly hilly and rocky trail but these mountain bike trails have directional changes and switchbacks that I am not used to. Perhaps some sort of jazzercise would have better prepared me or at least helped me spring back up from my stumbles with “jazz hands!”

What shoes did I wear for a crazy 8 mile trail run? My regular road shoes. My current shoes are Topo Magnifly 3. I love the 0 drop of the Topo and the wide toe box but find they are more stable and ankle protecting than my Altras. I wasn’t hanging on the side of a sheer rock face and my shoes are pretty good on most surfaces. I could probably have used a little more tread but without practice, I think the extra weight would have had me clod hopping and tripping even more than I did. How many times did I trip you ask? Well, if I only count the times I hit the dirt and not just stumbled like a newborn fawn, then that number is 3. My pace was pretty much spot on the 2 minutes over 5k pace, slighly under a10 min per mile, finishing the race around and hour and 20 minutes. This was actually good enough to win me first in the 40-49 age group so I was pretty happy!

The lesson here is that it’s nice to run a race outside of your comfort zone. Experiencing, a different course, distance, pace, people, scenery all make your world a little more interesting. Running is a way to learn more about yourself and to give you strength in life’s uncertain times. You finished what you start and try your best. You may trip. You may fall but if you get out there and push your limits, you can’t fail.

If you haven’t yet tried a trail race, do it! The only runs I have regretted are the ones I didn’t do.

Hello world! It’s been a while. I have been running races and even had a PR in a 5k in April, a 24:27! At least I think it was a PR. I injured my psoas, which is just plain fun to say but not so fun to rehab in January. The psoas led to a hip flexor issue but I watched a million youtube videos and through a greater power and much stronger glutes, I have persevered!

If feel like my Altras contributed to my psoas pull/glute weakness. Though I love the zero drop, I felt like I had little arch support. As a runner with very high arches, I struggle to find a balance between restriction and support. I switched to Saucony Kinveras, which I liked for their light weight feel and support but after a few months, I began to get that familiar plantar plate ache, this time on the opposite foot. My plantar plate tear previously took me out of commission for about 2 months, I didn’t want to lose the best part of the spring/summer so I backed off and went back to my Hokas. I taped my 2nd toe down to prevent the curling I was starting to see and began a vigorous toe exercise regimen. I never thought my life would revolve around glute exercises and toe lifts, but, here I am.

After wearing the Hokas for a few weeks, the rocker bottom allowed me to take that strain off toes, I started looking for other options. I didn’t likt the narrow toe box on the Hokas, and I do feel the excessive stack height throws off my gait and doesn’t allow me to engage my now incredible glutes. I have never been as comfortable wearign a show as I was with the Altra Escalante but after a 10 mile race, and a very sore psoas, I checked into other zero or low drop shoes. I found the Topo Magnifly 3. These shoes are very comfortable, feel supportive but not bulky. Unlike the Altras, they don’t look like clown shoes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…. I removed the insert and used these alleged zero drop insoles to allow for a little more shock control. I can’t believe I paid this much for an insert, but my toe has been ok so far!

Back to the black hole that is Etsy. It reminds me of the halcyon days of yore when I was first on facebook and I wanted to see every comment and like. Like this blog, I will go months without posting and then go on a rager. I didn’t paint as much during the pandemic as I thought I would when contemplating what I would do during a pandemic. My house was busy all of the time and I just didn’t make it a priority. Recently I started painting again, I don’t have a lot more wall space and I hate trying to make prints, so I just started throwing more stuff on Etsy. Some of the work is generally appealing and some is a little more artsy-fartsy. Either way, the posting process is cumbersome and I have no idea how to use Instagram but I made a page anyway. I don’t share it because I somehow want to be anonymous which makes no sense, pretty much the same thing I do with this blog. A quiet, dignified Etsy shop. That 2 people a week visit. I have actually had 7 sales which is more than I thought I would have but less than I would need to make this an actual occupation. I would have to figure out how to make prints and doo-dads with my prints on them and that makes me want to take a nap, though if I am following my own advice and learning new tricks, I guess I should learn. Here are the latest additions to my Etsy shop!

    I have mixed feelings about 2020. While I do not enjoy being part of a pandemic, having my business shut down or depriving my children of any semblance of socialization, I did enjoy the time we spent together.

    Since we only ran a few races, we had extra time to train and I stepped out of my comfort zone. Speed training sounded like something for much younger people. Even my quarter mile intervals improved my 5k time by minutes. My last race of the year, my splits were 7:53, 8:01 and 7:55, significantly faster than any of my times last year. I didn’t necessarily run further, though I tried to mix in some longer runs with regularity.

    If you want to improve your 5k time, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of speed work. I dread Wednesdays because I am a lazy runner, but I feel so much stronger when I am done.

    Much like 2020, we have to get through the bad to experience the good. Here is hoping that 2021 is better for all of us.