Off the Road Again...

Last Time on KPH'sRE...

...I was running a ridiculous half marathon "race", on Las Vegas Blvd, after an all out marathon effort.  After that debacle, I was itching to get back to some real running (as opposed to shuffling, dodging walkers and getting claustraphobic).

Surprisingly I have had good energy after the double.  I took off a few days and the Friday-Saturday-Sunday of the following week I got in runs of 5, 11 and 5 miles.  Paces felt good, body felt good.  I've also started doing a short 20-minute core strength workout every other day which I hope will pay dividends later this year.

Then after a couple more easy runs I came down with a cold that really knocked me on my ass and prompted me to shut it down for a couple of days.  That was annoying.  Then, I got my mojo back.

The two weeks following the double, in review:

Monday 12/5-Thursday 12/8 - Rest.
Friday 12/9 - 5 @ 9:06
Saturday 12/10 - 11 @ 8:25
Sunday 12/11 - 5 @ 8:26
Total:  21 miles

Monday 12/12 - Core work, no running
Tuesday 12/13 - 5 @ 9:01
Wednesday 12/14 - 6 @ 9:14, core work
Thursday 12/15, Friday 12/16 - Unscheduled rest days due to illness
Saturday 12/17 - Trail run (see below), core work
Sunday 12/18 - Will probably do 8-10
Total: 34-36 miles


Island Lake State Park Trail Run Report

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around I was chomping at the bit to run but I had to drive to my parents' house in Michigan for a Christmas party they were hosting.  After doing some research, I wanted to get in a decent trail run and start to shift my mindset and focus to the Ice Age 50 coming up in May and it was time to get some more experience on trails.

I am not an experienced trail runner.  Truthfully, I have really only done a handful of runs that I would characterize as a trail run.  But when I do get to do them, it is such a wonderful experience for me and makes the time I spend getting to these places so worth it.  Since I am so new to trail running every run seems like opening a new toy on Christmas morning - I get really excited about it.   On this trip home to Michigan I was determined to find a cool place to run.

I also wanted to start practicing the kinds of nutrition that my stomach can handle, and also work on a hydration strategy.  To that end, I hit REI on Friday before leaving and invested in a Nathan hydration backpack.  I had been doing a lot of my longer runs with handheld bottles and I wanted to try another system that kept my hands free, so that I could stop and take photos as well as have a good way to store my nutrition.  I had my doubts about whether or not I would like this as I had a hell of a time getting the damn thing to fit right without bouncing all over but once I got going on the run, I had everything adjusted properly and I really forgot that it was there, I just loved it.

After doing some research I narrowed down where to go to two places.  My first choice to run was at the Pinckney Recreation Area, but on the drive over I remembered how gun-crazy Michigan is and I was worried there would be a lot of hunters around.  After hearing from a family friend who lives out there that it was crawling with hunters, I decided on my backup plan - Island Lake State Park in Brighton, MI.  When driving up to the park I saw they had a shooting range and immediately wondered if there would be an issue.  We got out of the car at the trailhead and heard gunshots in the distance, but also saw a few mountain bikers and a couple of other runners, so I felt a little safer.  By the time I got out and sampled the goods of the trails I had almost forgotten they were there.

Catherine is ready to get after it.

There was a light dusting of snow at the park and it made everything really pretty.  I got some local intel on the trails from a couple of bikers I stopped to chat with and felt confident in where I was going.  I strapped the pack on and headed down the blue trail, which ended up being about 9 miles.

Light snow, high 20s and I'm wearing shorts.  Aww yeah!

The trail was really pretty and extremely runnable.  Nice soft ground, either very sandy dirt covered in light snow, or dirt covered in pine needles.  The blue trail was gently rolling with some really fun downhills.  I really tried to bomb the downhills and for the most part was successful, although later in the run I really had to keep my balance to prevent wiping out a few times. 

An early sampling of the goods.

We passed under a cool bridge and there was a nice view of the Huron River so I stopped to take a couple of photos.  Then Catherine came up behind me and we got to pose a bit:

Early in the run, overlooking the Huron River

Catherine under a bridge passing over the river

I kept roughly an 8:45 pace on this first loop which kind of surprised me...but after 3 or 4 miles there was a really nice stretch where the trail was really even and fast and I definitely picked it up.  I ate a Mocha flavored Clif shot after about 5 miles or so which tasted like brownie batter...pretty awesome.  There were lots of mountain bikers around and everyone who was out was very friendly.

Another shot of the blue trail with some color this time, loved these tall pine trees

 I got the first 9 miles done in about an hour and 20 minutes.  Went back to the parking lot and stopped to smell the air a bit, and ate some Honey Stinger chews which were delicious.  My first Honey Stinger product and definitely not my last.

Started the 6-mile yellow trail loop, which was promised to be hillier and more technical than the blue and did not disappoint.  In hindsight I probably should have done this loop first because some of the uphills in the second half took some starch out of me but I just loved the downhills on this loop.  Really fast and wild and a little rooty as well which forced me to really pay attention.  I came close to wiping out pretty spectacularly a couple of times.

I got to this part of the trail and went "Oooh, cool..."

  

Random shot of the yellow trail.



Cool bridge on the yellow trail coming off of a downhill

Finished the yellow loop, and the entire trip ended up being about 15.5 miles.  My feet were a little sore from all of the bopping around but hopefully after more trips they will get stronger.  My legs on the other hand feel fantastic and I fully plan on running tomorrow.  I just absolutely loved this run.  I definitely could have stayed out there a lot longer which bodes well for my 2012 plans.  It's crystal clear to me now why so many people love the trails, and love trail ultras.  It's so fun to be running around in the woods you just want to be out there all day!