Right at the beginning, I need to apologize for a bit of cutting & pasting for this activity. In the last post, I wrote up all the details, but accidentally left the date the same. If anyone did not attend because of this error, I ask for your forgiveness.
On the flip side, had anyone else shown up, my heart may have actually erupted from my chest for the additional repeat. For those of you who are afraid to show up after reading this recap, do not fear, we will not drop anyone, but you will certainly be challenged!
As much as I love cross country skiing, it was fantastic to be out stomping the trails again. Could it really have been nearly a month since I went running? However long it has been, this was an unbeatable night to get back out there.
Hartley's trails were well packed and temperatures hovered around freezing, so pretty warm for this time of the year. All of us had some form of substantial traction. Ice Bugs, spikes, and YakTrax made it difficult to assess how slippery it could have been on the trails, but no one lost footing. If you plan to do any trail running this winter, make sure you have the right equipment (this is my shameless plug for stopping in at the Duluth Running Co, which carries most or all of this equipment). A twisted ankle or a bad fall can take you out for an entire season, having the right equipment and being reasonably careful are especially important this season.
So, how hard did we work? Each of us admitted that we were all pushing our limits, but I couldn't hear anyone else's heavy breathing over my own pulse and gasping. There was one serious hill we stopped at the top to retie shoes. Clint suggested we do the traditional repeats. To be perfectly honest, I hoped we'd get another shoe to tie at top on the repeats, but no genuine article. At the top of the last repeat, I also expected to get a short breather, but Clint decided to plod along once he reached the top. Note to self - lead the last repeat next time. I was tempted to joke with the others that we should find a nice down hill next time to do repeats (yes, that would be equivalent to uphill repeats), but never got close enough while I had breath.
My heart rate average was 159 with a max of 176. I'm fairly fit. The superman of tonight's group had the average heart rate of 145 and broke 170 for his max. This guy, unlike me, has a real difficult time of getting his heart rate up.
In a nutshell, it was a challenging, but rewarding run with good conditions and even better group composition. Make sure to join us next week as we will be posting correct dates and do not intend to have any off weeks for a while. I hope to remember a camera one of these times too!
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2 comments:
How do the Yak Traks work on surfaces like Hartley? I want to purchase a pair, but at $30 I want to make sure they are worth it.
thanks
I personally like them and they are a great entry level purchase for icy conditions. Duluth Running Co sells them and spikes, but Yak Trax are certainly cheaper. One critique is that I would not buy them if your feet are sensative or you plan on running on them for more than an hour or so. Also, I own the pro version, but think the basic version is just as good. I hope that helps!
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