It is a beautiful spring morning: it’s fresh, but the sky is blue and the sun is shining through the trees – the perfect morning for a trail run through the forest. Or so I thought. It turns out, though, that my chosen run, the MudMan, is one of the most gruelling things I have ever done. I’m not the fastest runner, so the idea of park runs or 10k road races don’t appeal to me: they are just another chance to pound the pavement while being overtaken by the rest of the field, often going round in circles. I enjoy running, and like racing for the sense of achievement and the chance to push myself, even if it is more of a back-of-the-pack effort.
For those not after a personal best, trail running provides the opportunity to spend time off the roads and in nature, building muscle strength. It is like an interval session and plyometric workout rolled into one. During road running, my recurring knee pain often starts after an hour, but it doesn’t seem to bother me offroad.
So I have all these benefits in mind as I’m running through the forest at a Ministry of Defence site in Camberley, Surrey, until this tranquil scene is shattered by the sight of the first hill. Actually, the 500m through knee-deep icy water made me realise this wasn’t going to be a normal run – but back to those hills. So far, my brief forays into trail running have mainly been on tracks or trails with some hills, but nothing too taxing. MudMan turned out to comprise of seven large hills, aptly known as Heartbreak Ridge, followed by a series of smaller up-and-down efforts. Having signed up for the 15km, I had to complete the course twice.
The MudMan is the third in a series of winter runs from Human Race that includes WildMan and IceMan. Like the others, it’s set in an army training ground and you need to be Royal Marines-level fit to run those hills. I am not. Luckily, I’m far from the only one puffing my way up in a semi-power walk.
The downhills are not much easier – a very dry February means there’s not much mud and only a few of the more nimble-footed attempt to run all the way down at full pelt on the dry and stony ground. My favourite part of the Human Race offroad series is that it encourages runners with dogs and it is a joy to be overtaken by overenthusiastic hounds on the hills.
By the seventh hill, my legs like jelly, but I could finally see the finish line approaching. So all that was left was to do the whole thing all over again – the second lap. While I definitely didn’t get a personal best, and my legs won’t forgive me for a while, I can’t think of a better way to get a thorough workout and spend time away from the city with some four-legged friends. Next time, I will do some hill practice and borrow a husky to pull me up those hills. But I’ll definitely do more off-road running.
What off-road events do you recommend, suitable for all abilities? Any tips on training for hills, either up or down?
Source: Read Full Article