Home |
| Back Issues |
| Message Boards |
| Calendar of Events |
| Race Results |
| Current Weather |
Advertise |
| Free Issue |
| Subscribe |
| Distributors |
| About Us |
Trail Running Adventures
By Laura Clark
Want to jazz up your running program with a touch of adventure? Then trail running could be the answer. To see if this might be the sport for you, take a few minutes to complete the following quiz:
|
Even if you scored on the low end of the scale, don’t let this discourage you. The very fact that you are still reading this proves you are an excellent candidate. You have just shown that you are able to display a reasonable amount of adaptability, which is what this sport is all about.
Some road runners regard trail running as a fringe sport, a good collection spot for people who demonstrate a disturbing disregard for time and a correspondingly higher regard for space. And this is true up to a point.
Trail races are less crowded than their urban counterparts, although this is sometimes difficult to believe at the start, when everyone is inching along single file on a narrow trail. Soon enough, runners get swallowed up by the woods, only to re-emerge in smaller, more companionable groupings. And this is an ongoing process, as participants leave one group and enjoy some solitude, only to happen upon another trail buddy farther on. But whether alone or in a group, you cannot drift along in a semi-conscious state, relying on mere speed to get you there.
This is a sport where you have to use your legs and your brain to get you to the finish line. Let your attention lapse and you might vanish into a hole, hug a tree or miss a trail marker. Space is a vital, multi-dimensional concept, more than mere distance from here to there.
Time, however, means less. Trail miles take longer than road miles. For all you older runners out there, this is a great revelation. Comparisons with road race PR’s (personal records) are simply not possible. Moreover, course times tend to vary widely from year to year due to mud, rain, drought and other acts of nature. I’ve run a 14.5 “half- marathon” trail race (a “real” half-marathon is 13.1 miles) and a 12-miler where the fastest male time is 2:30 — and this from someone who qualified for the Olympic Trials Marathon!
So
how do I get started? Because they are somewhat removed from more normal
activities, trail race applications don’t normally fall into your
lap. You have to do a bit of investigative work. If you live near the
Albany area, the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Indian Ladder Trail Run in
Thatcher State Park on July 16 is a good introduction, as is the Tawasentha
series in Guilderland, scheduled for the last three Mondays evenings in
August.
I guess the lesson here is that even road runners like to branch out occasionally. The Adirondack Runners put on a series of cross-country (XC) fun runs on August Tuesday nights in Crandall Park, Glens Falls, as well as the Cole’s Woods Run in the same park on August 13. Since the trails at Crandall are of the more groomed, XC variety, this would be a good place to get some experience.
Once you get hooked, and you will, you’ll discover that it’s almost impossible to comfortably remain in your immediate area. Again, the time factor comes into play. For committed (read fanatical) trail seekers, a few hours in the car are a small price to pay for a great adventure. The Grand Tree series of races in NY, CT, VT and NH usually offer both short and long courses, great picnics and sometimes a swim afterwards, not to mention an opportunity to explore foreign states. Try Savoy Mountain, August 20, or Dunbar Brook, October 8, organized by the Western Mass Athletic Club for a preview of the same trails you may be snowshoe racing on in the winter.
Once you’ve selected a race, you must prepare. While event organizers tend to be an over-cautious, worrisome lot, take the warnings of trail directors seriously. The nearest Stewarts is a long way off, so you MUST carry a water bottle — either the hand held, backpack or waist pack variety. This is an adventure, not a run through town. While there are water stops, miles are longer and it takes a lot more travel time to reach them. And you could get temporarily spatially disoriented (read lost) which might lead to serious dehydration. In the woods, there are no ambulances following the last group of runners. Hard candies, gels, gummy bears, bananas are favorite munchies — anything that goes down easily. And what better excuse to spring for a pair of trail running shorts, with all those nifty pockets to stash your goodies!
Unless you enjoy black flies and sunburn, you’ll need to wear a brimmed cap and sunscreen. If you don’t own a pair of trail-specific sneakers, I guarantee you will by your second race. While nothing is really waterproof if you’re running through a stream, these shoes are designed to provide extra stability, cushioning and gripping power. You dont want to personally feel every stone or slide on every wet leaf. Look around and see what other runners prefer and you’ll probably discover that roughly half are sporting the New Balance 800 series.
But the most important piece of advice is just to relax and enjoy yourself. See you on the trails!
Other Resources:
www.adirondackrunner.com
www.newenglandtrailrunner.com
www.hmrrc.com
www.runwmac.com
www.trailrunner.com
www.trailrunnermag.com
Current Weather | Trail Conditions | Links
Free Issue | Subscribe | About Us | Contact Us | Home
Copyright© 2000 Adirondack Sports & Fitness. All Rights Reserved.