Ever since the Exmoor 2022 Ultramarathon I have been saying to myself I need to spend longer on the trails and less time on asphalt. The problem is knowing where to start.
Added to that the darker mornings and darker evenings, excuses if ever I heard them, I’ve avoided them like the plague.
I’ll be honest my confidence for trail running was seriously knocked at the end of Exmoor in July 2022. The difficulty of terrain, the injury to my left foot and the mental fatigue all contributed to my quitting mind.
So I’ve set myself some goals for the next 3 months, roughly the length of time I have to get myself used to running on trails and get myself in shape. They are very primitive but here goes.
Complete a 5k trail run- Complete a 10k trail run
- Complete a 15k trail run
- Complete a 30k trail run
Tonight, I headed out and completed the first 5k trail run, the terrain was a little challenging in parts, but nothing compared to Exmoor.
Running without headphones
One of the biggest barriers I am currently fighting is running without headphones. Something I noticed on this evenings run is that my senses are a lot more heightened when on a trail.
My heart rate is also a lot higher and my mouth becomes excessively dry which sparks my fight or flight response.
When I’m on smooth asphalt with or without headphones I’m a lot calmer, my heart rate is a lot more controllable and I’m in a good place.
I will be attempting to employ the same tactics I use on my asphalt runs into my trail runs.
Learning to run, learning to walk
I can remember my personal trainer saying to me that in trail running you’re basically learning to walk again.
I think I can kind of get it, you don’t have to and sometimes it isn’t sensible to run down or up every hill, sometimes it’s better to walk it.
So when I cam across these beauties on my trail run this evening, yes I slowed down and clambered my way up.
I’m slowly learning and after my first 5k, I can confirm that I will be back looking for a longer and deeper trail run this time.