Taste of the Trail

After a week or two of gradually testing the foot on slow 10Ks on asphalt without any flare-ups it was time to get back on the program. I'm planning to start it in a couple of weeks so I better get in shape. I did a nice hill workout last week, 2 minutes x 6 and felt confident to hit the trails up the valley side.

I probably should have walked the first bit, 300 meters of elevation on the first 2-3 Ks is a pretty brutal warm up, and I hadn't reached the forest yet. When I reached the trail I was pretty winded, when I negotiated the first rocky hill I was pretty tired.* I walked up some of the worst inclines and tried to jog up the rest. Of course, the infamous Blåsteinsbakkene being just a series of insane inclines, I walked quite alot.

The one thing about trailrunning I've forgotten or taken lightly was the fact that you have to pay attention to where you're placing your foot. When it comes to road running the worst thing that happens is treading on dogshit (or horseshit, when you're running in Nedre Eiker), but the trail is strewn with natures evil little booby-traps, i.e. rocks and roots. When I almost stumbled for the third time I had to stop daydreaming about hooking up with Megan Fox around the corner and focus on the ground. Tripping on a rock was slightly more realistic than finding her jogging around here. Just slightly.

I finally reached a cabin at the 5,5 K mark according to the Garmin so I had some water, a breather and a long shiver. Even if it's spring, I was caught out with shorts and a technical shirt at 400 meters. It started to snow. Both my nipples pointed me home.

Now started what must be the high point of trail running, the downhills. Of course by fun, I mean "the exhilarating feeling of fear of smashing your face on pointy rocks because you can't f***ing stop". And in some places I skedaddled down sheet ice and crusty snow, which was equally fun/terrifying. When I hit the road again, my knees and thighs were quivering with exhaustion/fear. I think I've found a new addiction. All the stats here.

On another happy note, Bar Runner Team Member Keiko has put on his running shoes. According to rumors, it was rather reluctant and forced, but his efforts has been duly noted. Hopefully this will last longer than his attempted solo career as MC Cool Ice.