New trails and familiar stomping grounds

This has been a great week for me.  Sunday I had the opportunity to explore a great trail near my parent's house at French Creek-

the Horseshoe Trail, which extends approximately 140 miles from

the middle of Pennsylvania all the way to Valley Forge.

Because I have so many races this year scheduled on trail, my aim is to run as many of my miles on trail as possible (plus the trails are just more fun).  Prior to this, I have mainly restricted my trail runs to group outings due to an unfortunate mishap a few years ago where I got aimlessly lost running solo.

Another view from the Horseshoe Trail

My training plan called for 18 miles, and I really wanted to break these beauties in.  I finally bit the bullet and bought a real pair of trail shoes, rather than running in my everyday shoes.  Rest assured, after my day on the trails, these shoes were definitely broken in!

I started with a loop around Hopewell Lake and caught the Horseshoe trail on the back side.  I was pleasantly surprised how well-marked the trail is.  The morning was brisk, with a fresh dusting of snow.  I was the first to leave my footprints, and didn't see another soul until after I had made the turn-around in Warwick Park.  On my way back, I saw a handful of mountain bikers, an older woman hiking, and a single trail runner.  The views were breathtaking, and the background to this page is one of the photos I had to stop and capture along the way.  This was a great day for me, because it gave me the confidence I need to hit the trails solo, rather than relying on others' whims to guide my running.

Fast forward to yesterday.  I decided to take a brisk 9-mile run around Lake Ontelaunee, which is just a mile or so from my front door.  Although this is mostly road, it is a very scenic route with little traffic, due to several bridges being closed to motorized vehicles.  It was a great morning, and I was surprised at the ease I felt cruising along at a sub 9-minute pace.  I quickly changed into new gear and headed up to Hamburg, where my brother was waiting to torture me with a crossfit workout.  While I'm not a die-hard fan, I find these workouts a great way to incorporate some strength and conditioning into my routine.

The workout he had planned is nicknamed "filthy 50" for good reason, as it entailed 50 reps of the following:

1. box jumps
2. jump pull-ups
3. burpees
4. back extensions
5. wall ball
6. walking lunges
7. over unders
8. push press
9. knees to elbows
10. overhead kettle bell swings

Needless to say, this was probably not the greatest idea for to do the day before a scheduled race, and I woke up this morning feeling like I was run over by a truck.  Amazingly, I managed to run the 10k option at Shiver by the River only 39 seconds off my PR, so I'm taking this as a sign that all the hard work is paying off.  Shiver is a 4-race winter series where runners choose either 5k or 10k options, which can be decided mid-race, should the mood strike.  Note to self: I'll schedule an easier day pre-race next month!

Up next: Ugly Mudder Trail race 1/20