I have always said it to anyone that asked if I wanted to participate in a 5k or any other activity, fun or otherwise, that involved running. I've always admired runners. But at the end of the day, I always found it so much easier to spend all day riding 100 miles around the county than to run 2 miles around the neighborhood.
But I have crazy friends.
And those crazy friends convince me to do crazy things like register for a 16 mile trail race. Two friends in particular worked their magic and got me to register to run the Hyner View Challenge. The Hyner is 16 miles of beauty... when you're not suffering your way over three mountains... in a state park about an hour north of State College. I'm not quite sure what made me decide to do it, other than perhaps just wanting to try something new. So on New Year's Eve, after a day of snow and in the 15 degree evening air, I ran State College's Resolution 5k to kick start my training program.
Since I joined the world of trail runners (or soon-to-be trail runners if it ever stops snowing) I've logged about 80 miles and have learned a lot of lessons about what I am, and am not, capable of.
So here is a top ten list of my discoveries from my first 6 weeks as a runner.
1. No matter how much I liked to think it would, all those hours I spent on a bike last year did not prepare me for running. Not even close.
2. Run slow. It really doesn't matter how slow I get in the distance, it's covering that distance that matters.
3. Your 6 year old sneakers that you bought to wear to the gym in college will not suffice for running long distances, especially on trail. Unless of course, you don't actually need your ankles in order to walk.
4. Running in your hiking boots sucks even more.
5. As a clumsy person, trail running requires an extraordinary amount of attention. Rocks have a way of grabbing your feet no matter how hard you try to avoid them. So do roots, branches and sometimes just the dry leaves.
6. When you spend most of your days practically running in place on snowy trail, running on plowed road makes you feel like a real athlete.
7. Treadmills are the most boring invention ever. And why do gyms even bother to put the captions on the little TVs if they aren't going to place the treadmill close enough for a normal person to read them? You can come up with some really creative things in your head for what the anchors are actually saying when you're stuck running 5 miles on a machine. (Especially when you see them interviewing your boss, and you know what they REALLY think about the issue.)
8. I don't feel as bad about having such a sweet tooth and having recently discovered gelatto that you can buy at the grocery store.
9. 30 degrees is actually a really comfortable temperature to run in. Especially after several runs in the 10's, 32 feels like spring.
10. Camelbak hoses can freeze. And why wouldn't it with as cold as it has been? There is nothing worse than carrying several pounds of dead (frozen) weight that you can't even use to hydrate. Good news... tube socks and electrical tape make great insulation for the hose. And double as a snot rag.
Each run for me has been a discovery in one or another of these lessons. I keep learning more each time I hit the trail, too. I'm happy to say that I'm actually enjoying this running thing, I'm learning how to make sure to stay hydrated so I'm not crippled the rest of the day, and I finally got a sweet new pair of shoes (that feel like heaven to run in).
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| Goodbye hiking boots, hello trail runners. |
