Just Another Runner’s Perspective

[dougb]

Trail Junkies

When I first began training for my first marathon in
1998, my running venues lacked variety. I decided to
map out a four-mile route that began at my house,
headed a mile to the north, came back to my house,
headed a mile south and came back and ended at my
house. This route would assure that I had water to
drink every two miles and a bathroom stop if I needed
one. For my longer runs, my wife was always available
to check up on me. I ran this same route for all my
runs whether it was one time around for four miles or
six times around for twenty-four miles. It did seem
rather monotonous at times, but it did get me through
my first marathon. Since then I have added some
variety to my running venues.

I have found that I can run almost anywhere at
anytime. My duffle bag with my running clothes
accompanies me much like that special blanket
accompanies a toddler. I am not superman, but I can
change into my running clothes in bathroom stalls as
small as a telephone booth. Where and when I run is
determined be convenience at times and preference at
other times. Just this winter I have added a cemetery
near my place of work to my running venues. It is
tough to get in track work this time of year, but
fortunately for me I have found I cemetery with a flat
paved loop a half-mile near where I work. It is well
maintained so I don’t have to deal with snow or ice,
which is a must when running intervals. With my
Garmin, I can set up any type of track repeats that I
desire. Just last week I felt a little awkward as I
ran an 800 in the cemetery, while listening to
Meatloaf sing “Bat Out of Hell” on my digital music
player.

As much as I feel the need to run intervals on dry
surfaces, I am not shy about running in ankle deep
snow. Last Sunday, Jeff Fales and I ran out at Fort
Custer on the trails. The snapshots we took in while
running the green loop were breathtaking. These
snapshots are one of the many reasons that I have
fallen in love with the trails. Whether it is a white
landscape after a fresh snowfall, the steam rising
from the earth early in the morning after a muggy
evening, or the myriad of colors on a sunny autumn
afternoon, there is much to take in on a trail run.
The trails will force you to slow down, so you will
have time to take in the scenery. Trails have other
advantages as well. If you get tired of sharing your
running with rush hour traffic try the trails. You
will also experience a piece and quiet that you can’t
experience from sharing the roads with motorized
vehicles. Running is accompanied by a whole host of
injuries caused by the impact from our feet hitting
the running surface countless times. The trails
provide a softer surface, a bit more cushion from this
impact. If you have not tried a trail race you are
missing out as well. You will not develop a rhythm
because of hills and changes of direction, but then a
trail race is not for you if setting a PR is your
goal. A trail race is certainly a different
mentality. You won’t have the crowded streets filled
with runners and lined with spectators, like you do
for a big city marathon, but the peace and tranquility
of a trail race is something to behold. The Running
Fit Trail Marathon near Ann Arbor and the The Tecumseh
Trail Marathon in southern Indiana are two trail
marathons that I would recommend.

We have a few runners among us; Dave Walch and Peter
Burril who I like to call, trail junkies. The bulk of
their miles are run on trails. I enjoy mixing it up
myself with part of my miles on the trails and part of
them on the streets. Certainly if you are training
for a road marathon, you want to get your legs
accustomed to the pounding they will take, so you will
need to log some miles on the roads, but a weekly
trail run will also be beneficial for you during your
road marathon training.

If you haven’t tried the trails and would like to give
it a try, Peter Burril and I usually run out at Fort
Custer every Sunday. We would welcome any of you to
join us. There is also Al Sable Nature Preserve in
Texas Township, Ott Biological Preserve in Battle
Creek, and Yankee Springs near Hastings. As with any
running you do it is always safer to run with a
partner. I hope to see you on the trails.

KEEP RUNNING!

Until next time, this has been just another runner’s
perspective.

By: Gale Fischer

[hydrationprincess]

Well said Gale! I too am an avid trail runner. I do the bulk of my running/miles on trails. When I first started running I couldn't stand going around and around in circles on the track (personal disklike) so I ventured out on the trails. Now I absolutely LOVE it! I've been running trails for about 10 years now. I am currently training for a trail run (a 25k) that will be here in the Central Coast area of California at Montana de Oro Park. The trails are tough - lots of hills, but the scenery alone makes it worth every step. I am always looking for organized trail runs and I feel the group that puts on the run I will be doing has some very nice ones. They are Pacific Coast Trail Runs (www.pctr.com). It's nice to see other trail runners here on this site. Enjoy your upcoming runs - happy trails to you!

- Kymberly