I am writing from Manitoba! This weekend here I took on my first race out of Toronto and my first-ever trail race in Birds Hill Provincial Park with the Summer Trail Series. I will include more information about these Manitoban series of races at the end of this post but for now I simply want to focus on my run experience which I hope will be particularly helpful for friends who want to tackle their first trail run in the future!
I have always preferred running on trails or trail-like environments over urban settings. I am easily frustrated by stoplights and traffic, plus I love the idea of catching sight of wild animals that are less commonly seen. However, a long trail run is a totally different monster from a long paved run. The race I undertook was 10km long and the strongest impression it left on me was that it was much harder than I expected. Personally, this run was more difficult for me to tackle than a half marathon. To be fair, I did not have much preparation; I found out that I would be running this race pretty late so the only practice I managed to fit into my schedule was a single 10km sidewalk run. But even then, I am usually very confident in running a regular 10km and I fully expected that I would complete the race in under 55 minutes when I ended up taking 1 hour and 18 minutes. Even on my laziest runs, I may go as slow as 6:30/km but I couldn’t even do that. To be prepared for a trail race, one definitely needs to train trail. I was running on terrain that I had never run on before; I found myself running over dirt, rocks, grass, over and under logs, while avoiding branches and various wild animal poop. The ups and downs are much steeper than I have ever experienced in an urban setting and never-ending turns demolished my calves. Thus, although I really wanted to stay under an hour, it was pretty hard when I was also trying hard not to kill myself. I did in fact fall once, along with a million stumbles, but no harm done. Aside from the fact that it was extremely challenging, it was still a stunning experience and I would do it all over again but with more preparation the next time around.
So what differences did I experience on this trail race from that of the typically paved race?
The most obvious difference was the environment itself. To my naivety, I thought that the differences would place a negligible effect on my run time. Big mistake. I was basically off by a half hour. There were so many factors that played a hand in slowing me down including the varying terrain, the topsy turvy path, slowing down to pass someone or to be passed, etc. This trail also involved climbing over one log and ducking under two. I slowed down at the turns and I hesitated at a couple of steep drops, also going down them at a slower pace. The trail environment took a lot of my focus away from pace was watching where to place my feet in avoiding branches, big rocks and poop (animal, of course). Even looking for the path markers took a little focus off too. There are a lot of markers to look for as it is very easy to accidentally run off a trail if one isn’t paying attention. Putting my cautions up, I ended up running at an extremely slow pace. I am also a pretty clumsy individual and I don’t lift my feet up very high when I walk or run so I think the shift in setting placed an especially significant effect on me. I took it very easy on the run and I also couldn’t help but slow down a few times to marvel at beautiful views and even stopped to take pictures of some amazing sights, including the ones in this post. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to spot any wild mammals but I got to see the giant dragonflies that I remember. They are very memorable as I got bit catching one last year… I’ll write about that another time. I recently learned that they are bred and then released to control the mosquito population. Cool, hm?
I’d say the environmental positives outweigh the negatives. People have their own preferences and I definitely know that forested environments are mine which is precisely the kind of trail this was. It was also a bonus for me that it was an evening run. There is something about running through the woods that makes running a more tranquil and meditative experience for me. The surrounding sounds are relaxing (doesn’t the sound of traffic just stress you out?) and I get to avoid all the typical interruptions of a sidewalk run. The air is nicer and running between trees kept me shaded and cool. Running in a forested environment also meant tripping on branches and rocks, getting scratched up, and getting bit by bugs but of course there are ways to work around most of these things such as wearing proper footwear, leggings, and applying bug repellant.
While this run had the mental effect of making me super cautious, there was also a very physical effect as it was much rougher on the muscles. Although the organizers state that trail running shoes are not absolutely necessary, I felt extremely fortunate that I had proper trail running shoes because this run destroyed my calves which were continually trying to compensate for lack of traction, the never-ending turns that go every which way, the extremely steep ups and downs and any combination of those conditions at the same time. I couldn’t imagine running with any less traction that I had. (Nor can I imagine running with mud; thank god it didn’t rain) My calves were definitely not used the sharp turns; I was throwing weight from one side to the other so quickly, just to do another sharp turn a few steps down. Likewise, my quads felt the pressure on the hills and from continually pull my legs higher up to avoid branches and larger rocks. Balance is also very much an aspect that is also particular to trail running. During a regular paved run, I wouldn’t think twice about balance but here, my ankles were often caught in so many different positions and I really have to gauge my speed when taking a turn to avoid smashing into a tree. Taking on the unexpected, I very much had to roll with the punches and twists of this race.
The shoes I used were Adidas Terrex Trailmaker GTX shoes and they served me well as I did not slip at all. (They’re on sale right now, go go go!)
Another big difference are the increased bottlenecks. Bottlenecks are part of almost ever race. Even by structuring wave groups, organizers can’t fully eradicate them, especially at the start of the run. But beside the start, bottlenecks have never been a problem for me and even though there are a lot of people to run along, it is pretty easy to weave through them (I find it pretty fun, actually). Bottlenecks , however, are definitely more of an issue during a trail race run. The path is only so wide so firstly, runners have to slowly funnel into the trail and secondly, weaving isn’t so much an option as everyone is basically running in single file. As a result, runners have an obligation to help each other pass so they can do their best.
I arrived late and started running when everyone had already begun so I personally did not have to deal with too many bottleneck issues. I had to pass a few people once I caught up but those were pretty easy to do especially when runners were so friendly about it. Many runners simply stopped before I even got close and many of them followed up with words of encouragement like “Good job!” I think it would be good to know so here’s the etiquette on passing and being passed: Passing will usually involve squeezing past someone but only when there is enough room to safety do so. It helps to give a verbal warning (e.g. “passing on your left!”) so the other runner can be aware and give a go-ahead.. This also means it helps to keep music at a lower volume to hear runners coming back from behind. If being passed, it does not mean one has to stop running (although you have the option to). It simply means avoiding from being an obstacle to other runners who are trying to pass usually by moving as close to the right side as possible. A additional cool tip from the organizers is to take advantage of the first few paved meters to speed ahead if you are a strong runner as it will mean less passing to do later. Conversely, it also means that overtaking too aggressively is a bad idea if you are not as strong of a runner.
There were some other minor differences, surprises and ramblings I’d like to make about this run, mostly insignificant notes so short path end here, for the long path, keep going.
I flew in at 11:30am and the race started at 6:45pm so it gave me a little bit of time to nap before my run but I guess I slept a little too long because I arrived late. More importantly, I was late because I did not account park size in my travel time. I didn’t realize just how vast Birds Hill Park was until I was actually within it. It took 15 minutes just to be driven from one side to the other. I guess I should have known better given it is a provincial park. As I stepped out of the taxi (it was a $60 cab ride; Winnipeg, pray for Uber), I watched everyone take off from the running line. It wasn’t much if a bother to me and I didn’t really mind running the race late. In fact, I think was a nice experience skipping out on starting line nerves, bottlenecks and to basically run solo until I caught up with some runners. The only real repercussion of arriving late is having an inaccurate time recorded online but that in itself isn’t much of a matter when I can easily record time on my own. Speaking of which, look how crazy my Strava map is:
As the race started at 6:45pm, I expected to be running in the dark but all through it and to the end, the sun was still up in the sky. I looked it up afterwards and apparently the sun doesn’t even start setting in the area until 9:30 at night. I heard that it gets darker quicker for the runs towards the end of summer and that the organizers encourage people to bring headlamps.
There was a small number of runners (last year they had around 80 runners in a race). It may be attributed to my social anxiety but it was extremely refreshing to run with fewer people around. The community seemed super close knit and everyone just seemed to know everyone else when gathering at the end of it. I think I must have been the only person who went to run alone.
The race took place at a provincial park and there was no way people would have it if runners threw plastic dipped paper cups all over the place after taking a sip of water. Additionally the organizers encouraged to reduce general race-waste so runners were expected to bring their own bottles for water stations along the run. Amazing stuff! I don’t like baggage (physical and emotional >wo) so I didn’t bring any along with me but they had plastic cups at the end so I could fortunately rehydrate myself. Mountain Dew had never tasted so good but it also meant that I didn’t sleep the same night because I forgot that Mountain Dew has substantial amount of caffeine and I’m caffeine sensitive. Did you know it’s double a Coke? What the hell?
Fortunately someone was kind enough to bring me back to the city so I didn’t have to take a taxi back the other way. We caught sight of the setting sun on the way and it was the most beautiful I have ever seen.
Got the shot but couldn’t capture the beauty.
Those are my simple notes as a trail-running newbie. I hope they are helpful or, at the very least, interesting in one way or another. The best way to train for a trail run is definitely to train in trail settings to build muscle strength and simply to prepare for the environment and conditions themselves. I am looking forward to running different type of trail races such as alpine and coastal runs in the future.. My muscles will be recovering in the next couple of days and I think my tailbone took a hit so I’m waiting that out too… but hopefully I should be up and ready for a Winnipeg run on Monday!
About the race
My run was the first of three races of The Summer Trail Series, organized by Trail Run Manitoba. There was a choice between a shorter 6km path and a longer 10km path. The races are held on Thursday evenings and the idea behind their scheduling is to allow people to run in between their other summer adventures. This was the precisely why I was able to run it; usually my summer weekends are completely booked up. What an amazing idea — I love it! The runs are sold out for 2017 but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to get in; many people are trading and selling off their bibs on the Trail Run Manitoba Facebook page and that’s how I managed to join the run myself. More information on these races are here: www.summertrailseries.com