In regards to yesterday’s ambiguous resolution to “blog more,” I should have set up a guideline: Try not to always write trite blog posts about running, buffeted by selfies taken in the woods. But, I didn’t offer any such caveat, so I can blog with wild abandon about today’s 11-mile trail run.
I had planned to leave the house at 7am but Little Boy was awake at 6:15am. I made him go to bed at 8:30pm last night because it was my turn to read the story and I was exhausted due to several nights of poor sleep this week. Mr. P was still sleeping and I have a hard time saying good-bye to Little Boy when he’s all by himself, so I didn’t actually get outside until 7:20am. It was 30 degrees. I had my lightweight Inov-8 backpack with some water, a pair of Yak Trax, and my phone. I felt good and ran easy on the sidewalks to the trailhead.
I entered the woods at Lone Tree Hill with the goal of capturing a course record on a particular Strava segment. This segment is about 1 mile, with 250 feet of elevation gain. I scoped out the women’s course record and felt that even with the ice and snow, I could still beat it. But I took a wrong turn up the hill and then lamented the hard effort for “nothing” (except for my personal betterment and fitness). When I got home and synced my watch with Strava, it turns out my wrong turn took me to a different Strava segment and I somehow got the course record for that, despite tiptoeing around sheets of ice and frozen mud. Strava link.
The trail got progressively worse in Beaver Brook and I stopped to don Yak Trax. I frequently walked, but even when I could run it wasn’t very fast. My heart rate remained low but I feel like dealing with difficult terrain is excellent training.
I returned home ravenous for eggs. One recurring source of annoyance for me is the discrepancy between the “calories burned” reported on Strava versus Movescount, which is the website for my Suunto watch. According to Strava, I burned 1,447 calories; Movescount says I burned 831. That’s a difference of two glasses of wine! Of course, I choose to believe Strava.
Winsome winter meadow
A better section of trail
Obligatory Selfie
