Back in the flow…

A nice early start, well early enough for a Sunday, in fact I turned up just as they were unlocking the gate at Victory Trailhead, which is open from dusk to dawn. This would be my first long run since last Sunday’s marathon and I was hoping to complete 10 miles. I was also trying out my new Asics 2120s Trail shoe and an Ultimate Direction Wasp hydration pack in an attempt to wear both of them in prior to the Bulldog 50k race in August. It was a cool cloudy morning, absolutely fine by me.

An easy start along the familiar trail quickly reminded me why I like trail running so much especially as I typically find myself running along Valley Circle which is nothing if not a busy road. I took my familiar route which takes me ‘up-top’ a 400’ climb and ran two loops with nothing but the sound of my breathing and footfalls to keep me company; seven miles in total. After which I plugged in my iPod headphones, dropped back down and did a there and back along the main track for another 6 miles with a couple of squiggly intervals on a climb by the main gate I was done for a total of 13.27 miles. My Polar S410 is away being serviced so here’s a read out from my Forerunner 305; red; heartrate, green; elevation; blue; pace.

My legs are back firing on all four cylinders and I felt great at the end, the clouds were breaking and the car park was considerably busier than when I started, hmm hot and busy, I am glad I got out their first. Oh yes and the shoes and pack were great. Asics never fail to amaze me; out of the box and 13+ miles no worries, the Wasp worked really well and is going to stand me in good stead later this year. As for trail vs. road; the debate continues…