10 Trail Running Lessons
Here are a few trail running lessons that I have learned over the past year. I thought I would pass them along to see if you can relate to any of them! Don’t eat eggs before you run. They will make you feel heavy and make you even gassier than running normally makes you! This can be a huge problem if you are ahead of your running partner; you may actually lose a partner on this one. Keep your kit tidy! Meaning don’t have earphone wires hanging down so they can swing aimlessly while you gallop along. Tuck those stray wires in your sports bar or in your shorts waist band. You will tire quickly of having to adjust laces, wires, straps…everything needs to be in it’s right place or else 2 to 3 hours down the trail you are going to have a meltdown. I have so I know. Take the right music. Music that sounds great at the beginning of the run can become very annoying hours in. How do you know you have the right music? For shorter tempo runs I always like a few sick beats to get dropped and for longer runs I like something a bit more emotive, nothing that will make me cry mid-run, but soothing enough that it helps me keep on pace. Fight the urge to sit or lie down when you see a soft mossy patch along the trail. you won’t get back up. Always bring toilet paper. Let’s not beat around the bush, because you are eventually going to have to poop in one, so be prepared! There will be slow days and there will be fast days. There will be days that you love it and days that you swear you will never run again. It’s all a part of the process…embrace it! Learn to love walking. That’s right, I have let the cat out of the bag, the key to running for a really long time is learning when to walk and when to keep running. There is no shame in walking a chin scraper of a hill, it’s probably more efficient and energy-saving in the long run; unless you are kind of a big deal like some of the pro’s out there. I am not therefore I am not ashamed to walk every now and then! Running solo is a beautiful thing! Don’t be afraid to head out on the trails by yourself, even for the long runs. Running in a group is a beautiful thing! Learn to run with a group, especially people who are faster than you. You won’t believe how motivating it can...
Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Pudding
If you’re anything like me the first time you heard about Chia it brought you back to being a kid growing up in the 80’s watching this commercial. And let’s all be honest with ourselves, we all really wanted a Chia pet, I mean I still kind of want one…hmm I wonder if they still sell them? Buy one! Chia Pet Kitten I have since found that Chia is much more than a super cool indoor gardening toy. And more specifically, Chia seeds, are a powerhouse of nutrition. Everyone can add these into their daily eating routine and they are chock full of health benefits . I started adding them to my morning oatmeal concoction (which is: oatmeal, almond milk, sunflower seeds, Goji berries, Chia seeds, hemp seeds) but after reading the book “Born to Run” (a definite must read for any aspiring runner or any experienced runners who need a kick in the pants motivation wise ) I thought about other ways I could incorporate them into my diet. I had heard about Chia pudding before but never got around to trying it… until now. Oh my god I can’t believe I have been missing out on it all this time!! It is so delicious and just absolutely decadent that it won’t seem like you are eating something so good for you. So here is the recipe that I currently use: 1 400ml Can Organic Coconut Milk (Full Fat) 4 Tbsp Organic Chia Seeds (Use less if you want a thinner pudding) 1 splash of pure vanilla extract 1 dash of cinnamon (I love cinnamon so don’t give specific measurements. Use to taste) That’s it! Put all those ingredients in a resealable glass container, give it a quick stir and put it in the fridge for a few hours. The Chia seeds soak up so much of the coconut milk that you are left with a thick tapioca like pudding. You only need to eat a small amount at a time as it is so rich, unless you are like me and eat almost half of it in one sitting! Scoop 2-3 tbsp into a bowl, add your favorite frozen or fresh berry and sprinkle with raw cacao nibs. Amazing! Now I am not much of a sweet tooth and prefer to make it unsweetened, but if you wanted to sweeten it up you could add a touch of agave syrup, or even maple syrup would do the trick! Do you eat Chia Pudding? We would love to hear your favorite way of eating this delicious snack! If you haven’t tried it before make sure to let us know what you...
I run fast past Graveyards
Close to where I live there is a scenic loop trail that I like to run when I’m feeling restless and need to move. The track is wide, has a bunch of intersecting trail options if I want to mix things up, it’s only a 2 minute drive from my door and I’m pretty much in the forest right from the start. It also happens to pass right next to a Graveyard. The first few times I passed by I didn’t even notice it. It’s facade and grounds are a lot more subdued to what I’m used to coming from Ireland where medieval cemeteries lie around every corner, with tall Round Towers and large ornate Celtic crosses. Eventually though, I did notice it. I noticed the gravestones and acknowledged that this was the final resting place for all those people. Sometimes as I’d be approaching the graveyard my pace would have slowed, I’d be in my own head, thinking about problems that I needed to solve which are never really actual problems in the grand scheme of things. I wouldn’t be enjoying my run at all. My legs would feel heavy, my shoulders stiff, my knees tight. But as I’d turn the corner and see the entrance to the graveyard, shaded by the large branches of two old oak trees I’d be reminded about how trivial my problems really were. Here lay people that could no longer experience life in any capacity. What would they give to be able to experience this run that I was on, regardless of how bad I imagined it felt? “Part of us always knows that we’re just a Doctors visit away… from being startlingly reminded of the fact of our own mortality” - Sam Harris Death, to me, is always the elephant in the room. In Western culture at least you can’t even bring the subject up. It’s deemed “morbid” and “macabre”. If discussion surrounding it does come up somebody will inevitably say something along the lines of “let’s lift the mood, eh? Why can’t we talk about something positive?”. I find this utterly mind boggling. Death, to me, should only be a topic that is avoided when the possibility of living life fully is not an option. Western society contains the only humans on the planet that have a freedom to shape their lives how they see fit. The vast majority of people who exist right now have no option but to live the lives they were born into. In the West we have freedom to become what we imagine. We have the resources to do so and the security, largely, to...
What gets us Stoked, VIII
Some of the videos we watched this week that we hope you will also. We especially like the piece featuring Adam Campbell called “Silence”. It was filmed close to our home on Brohm Ridge. A pretty special place to go running. Let us know if you’ve watched something this week that inspired you. Mixed Climbing: Sky Running: Living Life: Mountaineering: Trail...
What gets us Stoked, VII
Our 7th installment of videos that we draw inspiration from. What we love about this age of media explosion is that so many talented film makers can easily share their work with the entire world to see. We feel that all these videos linked below should get spread far and wide to those that love the Outdoors. Trail Running: Climbing: Playing in the Outdoors: Free Skiing/Snowboarding: ...
