Trail run + ice = eep!
Met up with some people on Meetup.com today for trail running out at Castlewood. I don't think I've mentioned Meetup in any previous posts, so let me briefly tell. I originally came across Meetup in June of 2012. It was National Running Day and I wanted to find somewhere that people were gathering for a run. I found the group StL Runners on Meetup and met some people in Forest Park for a 4.5 miler. I've been a member of the site ever since, and it has proven to be a good choice. I joined 2 running groups, StL Runners and the St. Louis Trail Running Club. I've been to quite a few meetups with StL Runners and have made some friends in the process. Running with some guys on those meetups helped improve my pace before my injury.
Today was the first time I actually joined any of the activities with the Trail Running Club. Since I've been trying to get out to Castlewood for hill training anyway, I figured keeping up with their meetups would be a good idea. The run posted was supposed to be 6-8 miles of flat trails. This depended on the weather though, as there's still snow on the ground and it also rained a good deal a few days ago, leaving things a bit mushy. I was sceptical about the distance, since the most I've done post-injury is a little under 6 miles straight.
Once I got there, it had been decided we would do the almost 4 mile Grotpeter Trail since it would most likely be less muddy and then after that, if anyone wanted to do more, they could.
We hit the trail from the opposite direction than I had previously, which I thought would be better, as we'd be coming down the huge hill instead of going up it. The trail was rough, though. There were large sections that had apparently thawed with the rain but then re-frozen last night, as the temperature got a few degrees below freezing. So, this meant slipping and sliding and ultimately slowing to a careful walk involving picking our way around the icy sections.
It was still a good run, regardless, useful for strength training, if nothing else. Once again, there were several noisy hawks hanging around, and we intersected with a couple and their dog a few times. The dog was not on a leash, and very excited to see people running. It was obvious he wanted to run with us, poor thing.
It was mentioned after the run about trying to do one of these every Sunday morning, and I would definitely like to try to be a part of that and get introduced to more of the St. Louis area trails.
Distance: 3.89 miles
Average pace: 14:11 min/mi
Today was the first time I actually joined any of the activities with the Trail Running Club. Since I've been trying to get out to Castlewood for hill training anyway, I figured keeping up with their meetups would be a good idea. The run posted was supposed to be 6-8 miles of flat trails. This depended on the weather though, as there's still snow on the ground and it also rained a good deal a few days ago, leaving things a bit mushy. I was sceptical about the distance, since the most I've done post-injury is a little under 6 miles straight.
Once I got there, it had been decided we would do the almost 4 mile Grotpeter Trail since it would most likely be less muddy and then after that, if anyone wanted to do more, they could.
We hit the trail from the opposite direction than I had previously, which I thought would be better, as we'd be coming down the huge hill instead of going up it. The trail was rough, though. There were large sections that had apparently thawed with the rain but then re-frozen last night, as the temperature got a few degrees below freezing. So, this meant slipping and sliding and ultimately slowing to a careful walk involving picking our way around the icy sections.
It was still a good run, regardless, useful for strength training, if nothing else. Once again, there were several noisy hawks hanging around, and we intersected with a couple and their dog a few times. The dog was not on a leash, and very excited to see people running. It was obvious he wanted to run with us, poor thing.
It was mentioned after the run about trying to do one of these every Sunday morning, and I would definitely like to try to be a part of that and get introduced to more of the St. Louis area trails.
Distance: 3.89 miles
Average pace: 14:11 min/mi
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