First trail run experience
So....today I went for a trail run with a training buddy. He is much faster than me, but I still tried to run my own best pace. It was not fast at all. But...it was HARD. There was elevation and rocks and stumps and puddles and ice and more. My pace overall was well below my Z1 pace, but I felt pretty wiped out by the end. I've been handling all my OS run workouts ok (on treadmill or road though), but this one was tough.
Q1: What do you make of this result?
Q2: Is it beneficial for me to keep doing these types of runs occasionally?
Q3: Should I be looking for hilly terrain when training for a race like IMLP? Or does it matter?
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Comments
If you like the trails, run them. I have a 4 mile loop that sounds similar to yours, over here by Lanier. Very technical, lots of steep pitches, hopping logs and roots, bouncing over rocky steps and stairs, etc. But, it's not a run that you can apply any of our parameters to. It's a steady run, no shame in power hiking when the incline is super steep. It's a reprieve from the streets. Nice break. HR training, knowing that paces could vary from 7min/mi to 20min/mi to 8min/mi all within 750meters. HR focus, hills build leg strength, stabilizer get worked cuz of all the hopping and changes in strides, etc.
Lake Placid's run is tough. But it's still gonna be tough even if you master this trail run. Use the trail run for fun but don't be fooled into thinking it's the magic bullet.
Be careful of a couple of things...
1) know that all the ups and downs are gonna really work your calves and achilles. If they start to tighten up, stop sooner than later. Treat that warning sign with respect. It will come back to you if you don't. And it'll affect even your flat runs. So, don't do too much too soon.
2) stay light on your feet and in control. screw pacing. pay attention to every step. Look over your shoulder for a split second peek at a nice view through the woods or of the river, and,......BAM! that's when that root reaches up and grabs your toe sending you face first into a pile of rocks or a tree trunk or something!
They're fun, they're beautiful. It's nice to have these around here. We're lucky. I wish I hit my trail more. Only reason I don't is b/c of time windows.
It won't be a replacement for your IM marathon training. But, it can certainly help build leg strength. And, the other good thing is that it forces you into quick, short, choppy steps...increasing cadence practice.
Have fun & be careful!
I view trail running as strength, durability, endurance, and co-ordination.... DO NOT apply pace.... HR should work fine.... It wont hurt you running trails for IMLP specially this far out but I dont think it will be nearly as beneficial as the specific long runs in your plan....
I used to avoid trail running like the plague since every time I did it I felt really beat up the next day... Just using different muscles , tendons, etc to move across the varied terrain... In fact I will do a lot of my IM specific long runs on a track to control pace , fueling, and reduce injury potential... This winter I signed up for a couple ultra's so I'm doing a lot of trail running ( 66 miles this week and 58 of them on trails) although the trails I am running on are mostly easy.... Most of my miles are coming in @ EP + 30-90 seconds... Today I really pushed it on an easy trail and only managed my EP barely.... Now when I run on pavement I feel beat up the next day.....Loving the trails now but after the Ultra's and during my IMLP build I will be on the road with some hills.
Bottomline trails are fun for fitness but for IM specific I'd stick with the road!
To answer your q's.... You had one hell of a workout today that gets added to your fitness one way or the other....Sure keep doing them if you enjoy them but go more IM specific like in your plan when closer to IMLP... Running on hills is good to work the climbing and descending muscles , a hilly route or hill repeats !
I have been doing most of my long runs in the OS as trails runs, mainly because there is a group and I can run with my son. We have some pretty big hills around here. It is way more fun than running on the road and is putting deposits into the strength, durability and mental bank accounts IMO. For training to be sustainable, it needs to be fun.
I try to put in some corresponding efforts to the plan based on RPE. Also, I go by time not distance. So if the plan calls for 2 x 1 miles at Z4, I will try to fit in 2 7-8 minutes hard efforts. The timing is hit or miss depending on the terrain.
The benefit I find is that when I transition back to the asphalt, I am flying! It just just feels easy at paces that normally aren't easy. I love.
I avoid trails, for fear of turning a very, very loose left ankle. Closest I get is a graveley wash type thingy with Riley but I slow down a lot to watch my foot placement.
As others have said, they can be great for training, great for your head, but I'm always leery of ruining months of training on a single run. I rolled my left ankle about 7wks out from Kona in '03 on a trail run. I wasn't able to run a single step before a 3mi out and back in Energy Lab on Wed of race week. Ankle has never been the same and I've subsequently rolled it very badly a few times since.
Hills, however, are awesome. I'm able to work just as hard but for long, at a lower mental cost vs doing flat mile repeats. That is, I have a hilly tempo route that takes me 19-20' with a good mix of steep ups, downs, false flats, etc. This course is much easier for me, mentally, than 3 x 1mi. And I think there's great value in (sane) downhill running, as a means to build durability in your legs. Doing hilly long runs, especially with hills / long climbs near the end, would be a good mental exercise for IMLP. LP is just brutal in that the climb back into town starts at about mile 20-21, right when the wheels start to come off for many, many people.