Trail Run Preview

After gathering some inspiration from not really running like I should the last few weeks and reading some great blogs online by inspiring runners, I decided that Sunday was the day I was getting my intensity back. So I laced up my running shoes (yeah the ones I use to run outdoors that I have not worn since mid-September) and headed out to Burke Lake Park. This is the same course I will run on Saturday for the "Drumstick Dash 8K" It was an absolutely beautiful day for a run! The leaves are still beautiful shades of orange and red, the trail is gorgeous and the view of the lake just so calming, and the 4 1/4 mile loop around the lake had the perfect amount of people. What does that mean you ask?? Well...perfect to me means that it isn't crowded so I can run at whatever pace I want and not have to try and move around people or have them need to do the same to me. It also means that there were enough people around that I felt accountable to these strangers somehow to keep running and not take too many walk breaks :) So I ran the whole loop.....then added on a bit so that I could complete a full 5 mile run. I tried a few new things during this training run that are worth mentioning.

• My new phone has a running app that uses the GPS to track the distance. SO cool!!! Yeah I am late to that party but I just got the new phone....what can I say. I didn't know that it was talking to me most of the run until part way through when I checked it to see my pace. I wonder how many of those strangers heard it talking :)
• During the Zooma race back in June I had tried a gel that made me sick. I swore off the gels at that point, being too scared to have those lingering effects again. But I know that the energy they give me through a longer run are good....and they are easy to carry. So, the last time I was at the running store, I grabbed a few. It was great! No stomach issues AND it did give me that little extra perk I needed. I used it half way through the run and there were times in the 2nd half when I was running close to a 7 min mile! I didn't think I could actually run that fast for a sustained period!!! That is a repeat for sure. Probably during both of my races this coming long weekend.

I took Monday night off...even though I should have squeezed in another run. My shins are tender....and I am remembering not to push too hard or be too intense. The Ragnar is just more than 6 weeks away. I have got to be healthy for that...especially since many of my partners in crime are not :( More on that in another post.