Trail Running

Well I'm slowly but surely on my recovery after the LA Marathon. This time around it was such a pleasant experience compared to last year's event. I don't have any soreness whatsoever, my toe nails did not go black this time and had absolutely no blisters. I did learn that I must hydrate more, my 64 oz hydration pack was not enough, I still cramped up at mile 12 but not as bad as last year.

So I want to get back into race walking and running but must control my desire to do too many miles for the next three weeks. Depending on physical conditioning I've read that it can take up to six weeks to fully recover, so I'm being cautious.

What I have taken up is trail running. A kinder and gentler way to accumulate miles. I did my first short bout of about 25 minutes on Sunday, March 26, 2006. It sure was different. What surprised me was the lack of pain on my knees or anywhere else. As my feet hit the ground the softness of the wood chips and dirt were very noticeable as opposed to my perception of asphalt. Must find long trails for later in the season. I'm really jazzed, again, and hope for a long relationship with my new found roads. I hope my friends can join me!