I ran at my daughter's soccer practice last night. I ran on my favourite trails, and I ran fast, because it was getting dark. But it didn't matter how fast I ran, it still got too dark, too quickly, and the trails were hazardous. I ran on the trails until I really couldn't see, and the sun was good and down, and then I had to run around the sports facility's roadway, which is a little over a kilometre loop, but even that got dark (it stayed lighter longer than the trails beneath the trees.) And soon I was running in pitch black darkness illuminated by the occasional orangeish streetlight. I couldn't run very quickly because it would have been dangerous, too easy to set a foot down wrong. I had to force myself to go around the loop three times, and probably ended up running no more than 12km, though I'd planned to run 16. It took all of my mental strength just to make it around three loops in the cold and the dark. It was just so dark.
It really felt like the end of something. The end of the season.
So I think that will be my last run at my favourite trails for the season. It's only going to get darker the next little while, and I know people stop running trails in the winter anyway. Too slippery.
The question is: where will I run, now? And when? Will I change my training and start swimming more and running less? Any suggestions?
2 comments:
I don't think you have to run any less, but just change it up for the winter. Even though I am not crazy about running on busy streets, I have this loop that I do in the winter that is well-lit. I feel safe running it in the dark on my own, but it is noisy (along Westmount, University etc.). It is not great, but I have my music and it means I can still run at the times that suit me.
Can you squeeze a trail run in during the day on the weekend? I think people DO still run on trails over the winter, but you just have to be careful.
How was your trip?
We're home! I'm tired.
But I'm actually considering getting a used treadmill for the basement for faster winter runs, after running on the treadmill at the hotel this morning. I was able to run differently than on the roads, more like spin class, alternating sprints with a slower pace, and it felt like a good workout.
Good idea re running during the day. I'm still not sure about running steep trails in winter snow, but it would be nice to keep it up.
Post a Comment