Need/Want New Shoes

As I try to get back into running two things have been dominating my thoughts. 1. How long will it take until I feel like I can go for a hard effort run and NOT feel like my body's going to explode?, and 2. I really should get some proper shoes for the trails that I've come to enjoy.

The first is not a question that will be easily answered. The second, however, may have been nailed down last night. I went out for a run after work in not the best of conditions, weather wise. It had been raining off and on for a day or two in Toronto, and it was somewhat chilly out. On my bike ride to work one of the past two mornings I got pelted with ice pellets and that's not so usual for this time of year in the Big Smoke.

Anyway, I ran on pavement to the trails at the bottom Pottery Road and then hit the single track with enthusiasm. Quickly, my enthusiasm was curbed by the fact that the trails were nothing but mud and the ice pellets came back with a vengeance! My shoes immediately got caked with mud as I slipped this way and that trying to maintain balance while trying to see through the crap falling out of the sky and blowing into my face. Nevertheless, I managed to have a decent run on the trails and by the time I came back out onto the pavement, without any falling I might add, my shoes were a muddy mess. I ran across some grass and tried to get as much mud off of the bottom as I could, but this was largely in vain. I made it up Pottery Road and all the way home for the longest run yet in my return (41:50) and I seem to have carried a decent amount of the trail muck back with me.

So, in short: I don't know it trail running shoes would have prevented the muck sticking to the bottom (doubt it), but I think the slipping and sliding would have been minimized. I have no idea what to look for in a trail running shoe and think I'll start with the hybrid type (good for road and trail, best for neither) and see where that gets me, because...

I signed up for a trail race! On June 9th I'll be running the "enduro" course at Hardwood Hills (I think it's 12.2km long, but listed at 15km for some reason) and I might as well prepare with the right gear, no?

Green Light (with a caution)

I've been told to try and push things a little bit by my massage therapist. The idea is if stuff starts to break down we'll be better able to pinpoint the problem if I tweak things. Anyway, I'm quite pleased with this turn of events and a little apprehensive about what will happen.

So, my first "test" was on Wednesday when I hit the trails and decided to run longer that I've been able to in almost a year. By longer I mean time wise since I am not ready to chart my progress by mileage just yet. That can only lead to no good.

I jogged for the most part on dirt single-track trails in the Don Valley and went exploring sections that I'd never run on before. As usual, it was a blast! I spiked my heart rate a couple of times on some steep climbs, rested for a minute or two watching skateboarders practicing slalom runs on an isolated road, and then ran back up Pottery Road and most of the way home. I hit stop on my watch at exactly 40 minutes and walked the rest of the way.

40 minutes!

It's nothing, but it's a big step for me. Now, two days later, I am a bit sore in places, but not the places that would have forced me to stop running yet again. Slow and steady is the key and it will be difficult for me to hold back and no overdo it. We'll see...

(I'm even contemplating entering a trail race in June just for fun. There's a 5km and a 12km option. Naturally I'm thinking "get your money's worth" since the cost is the same. Thoughts?)

Famine to Feast

Well, the title of the post doesn't accurately describe what's actually been happening, but given that I haven't really been able to do anything resembling running since early Summer 2011 the past week has been a veritable feast!

On Friday Owen and I hit the Don Valley trails again for a short jaunt. I'm still amazed how much fun it is to run on dirt with trees on either side, or a steep drop off that could prove fatal should I trip. Exhilarating! The whole thing was only 17'42", but that's awesome based on recent history. I am jogging very gingerly and slowly, and with each step my optimism grows.

On Saturday I hit the sidewalks on my own for a jog down to the Danforth and back. It was once again slow, but pretty much pain free. 21'20" of fun!

Sunday the wife and I jogged together for 22'11". It was sidewalks again, not the preferable trails, but I'll take what I can get!

And then yesterday I managed to convince Owen to jog over to the school with me to get the younger one. Sidewalks for 15'24".

Count'em up: that's four days in a row of some sort of jogging/running! Not far, not fast, but it's a start! Today I go see the massage therapist again to get the scoop on how my body is holding up. In the meantime I'm scouring the web for local trails and even trail races suitable for the rookie types. Yay!

What?! Another post already???!!!

Yes indeed. I actually have something else to say already that's running related, and it's not even my bone scan results! Huzzah!!!

Yesterday evening the older loin-fruit and I went exploring the trails of the Don Valley. It is so close to my house that I am ashamed to say I've never checked out this trail system before. Ten Years I've lived in East York and finally I got to do it! (Save for a short hike with the younger loin-fruit's Beaver colony last Fall when I was introduced to the existence of said trail system.)

Anyway, we had no idea what we were getting into and I was a bit scared of A. pissing off the mountain bikers and, B. getting lost. Thankfully neither of these two things happened and we survived to tell the tale.

The trails we "ran" on were mostly single-track, though there is a crushed gravel section depicted in green on the map to your left. We entered the trails at the southern most end where you see the question mark and didn't get onto the northern most blue trail at all. It was quite hilly, and very much fun. I think trail running will be the thing to do as I get back into running, body permitting of course.

Me jogged a bit, walked a bit, jogged some more, stopped to look at two deer that crossed our paths, jogged again, etc. It was great. In all we ran for 26 minutes and 30 seconds. This included running up Pottery road, the only street running we did the entire time.

My body feels OK this morning. I did some leg weights at the gym before work and my groin/abdomen ailment is still there, but it doesn't hurt any more than it did before the run. Bonus!

I'm hoping to check out the trails again soon. And I can't wait until all of them are open come May so that we can explore the entire system.

Oh yeah. Here's a link to the pdf version of the above map for anyone who's interested.

Happy Hippy

It's hard to believe that I even know how to log onto this blog service let alone remember my password given how infrequent my visits here have been. For once, my hits are outnumbered by those of strangers near and far! (Rim shot...)

But I digress. The last near-month has seen some interesting developments in my groin region, though it's not what you (or I) might like to think it is. First, I've been to told to try "running", and so I have. Not often, mind you. But a few times. Three to be exact.

The first time I did a walk-run thing for fifteen minutes around the neighbourhood. I can barely remember what happened, but I do know that my right Achilles was not pleased with my attempt and hurt like a s.o.b. for the next week. The groin thing was tight, but not what I could describe as painful. Verdict: meh.
The second was this past Saturday when I ran over to a park with my older loin-fruit to play a bit of catch. Ten minutes there, the aforementioned catch, and five minutes back. Not the walk-run method or anything! Verdict: stoked!

The third was this past Sunday when the clan ventured to a park on the Ottawa River and I was joined by my lovely Wife (for the first bit) and my younger loin-fruit (for the duration). We ran on trails and that is so much more enjoyable than concrete in my opinion. Perhaps the novelty will wear off, but given that I don't really have access to trails I doubt it. Anyway, we ran for fifteen minutes straight, then walked for quite a bit at which point the loin-fruit said we should run back to the car to play some catch. So, we did, for another five minutes (he only wanted to run on the "soft" trails as his feet were hurting from all the "hard surfaces"). Who was I to argue! Verdict: fun!

Final tally: three runs, one Achilles tendon ailment, and some progress in the groin region. After this past weekend my right calf is tight and I should probably be concerned, but I don't give a shit because I got to actually do some running, slow as it was.

Anyway, the other thing to mention is that I had a bone scan last week. Still waiting on the results. Hope it actually reveals something. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will do no such thing...

If you want to know what a bone scan is you have access to all that the Internet will allow. I'm too frustrated with this whole process to help you out beyond including a hyperlink to something that MIGHT be correct, but probably is misleading in some way.

Cheers!