Six of us showed up to run our normal Tuesday night trail run, last night. The surface was glazed with mud that was half-way between frozen and wet, making for slick conditions in a few spots. It seemed darker than usual, because the wet mud is darker than the surface we are normally used to. My flashlight seemed dimmer, because of it.
I was leading the charge and started off slow, but felt crappy on the first 5-mile loop. On the second loop I started getting into a rythym, and felt pretty good. I slowly poured on the speed through that whole loop, and we finished strong. I didn't think that I was going that fast, but was told otherwise by some of the usual suspects.
All in all, a great 10-mile trail run.
When I got home, I had a great surprise. My daughter had come to our house earlier in the day and made some great soup out of Thanksgiving leftovers. My grandson was also there to greet me, (we were watching him 'til about 11:30pm). I sat down in front of the TV and poured myself a Boulevard Nutcracker Ale, which is especially good this season. A wonderful evening.
Side note: On Tuesday my son worked-out with the personal trainer (Igor) at my place of employment's wellness center. He will have a dietary consult with him on Wednesday, and plans on working-out 5 days a week. He told Igor that he is tired of having his dad being able to out-run and out-lift him. Maybe he will give up smoking. We can only hope. :-o
4 comments:
do you actually run with a flashlight, or a headlamp, i've been thinkin' with the shorter hours that i need to invest in somethin' 'cause you can't always rely on the moon.
good on you. and keep inspirin' your son... unfortunately, you can only raise them so well, and then it is up to them.
I run with a flashlight when I'm training, and a headlamp and flashlight during 100-mile races. I don't use a headlamp as a primary source of light. Instead, I use a simple, 4-LED headlamp pointed up and out, to see trail markers and low-hanging branches.
My primary light source: I use a hand-held flashlight for seeing the trail surface. Hand-held flashlights need to be held low and parallel to the ground, so that you cast a shadow and show the height of all trail obstacles. A headlamp won't do that; it is about the same height as your eyes. If you point it down at the trail, it won't cast a shadow, and you'll be tripping over roots and rocks all of the time. You should test this theory yourself, on some night runs. I prefer a bright LED flashlight with at least a 12-hour battery life.
I'm amazed at runners during 100-milers that run with minimal (or no light at all). They plod along, tripping and falling at a 20-min/mile pace, while I zoom past them at "normal" daylight running speed.
Of course, on paved surfaces I rarely run with a headlamp or flashlight. I'm just talking single-track trails, here.
thanks bad ben, i'm going to be running on trails with no tree cover, i had not considered a flashlight, but i like the idea... it's an uneven single track trail.
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