Today I set out to play on another new trail for me, my good friend Jon told me about while I was visiting him for his Marathon this past weekend. The trail is within a 10 minute drive from my house so I headed out as soon as I got home from work. The plan for tonight was to run this trail path twice, first using my new Cascadia’s and then right after using my Minimus Trails. Going into it I thought I was going to really struggle on the second round, not only was I going from a much more cushy shoe to a minimalist but I’ve already ran the past two days, a third day of running in a row is a little out of the norm for me.

First Lap

The first lap went by fairly quick, the course was just shy of an even 4 miles and my favorite thing as of late was present for today’s journey, HILLS! Yes this trail had a nice share of very gradual inclines and several steeper inclines as well. Nothing too high but definitely enough to make a difference. As of late I have noticed that my hill speed has been improving and tonight was no different, I found myself naturally increasing my speed as I went UPhill. The motion of my legs was so natural, I just start shufflin’ faster as I hit the hills. It’s just nice to know that instead of my old slow down at the hills, I’m starting to see my ability to push up them with a little oomph finally coming around. Half of this trail was a man made trail made out from a fine gravel and overall very smooth, the other half was a more natural trail created by mother earth. The second half was a lot less smooth and gave me some varied turf which is great for strengthening ankles, calves, and quads for sure.

Second Lap

After I finished the first round, I swapped my Cascadia’s out for what has become my favorite running shoe, my New Balance Minimus Trails, while I was lacing up I had doubts that I was actually going to go do another 4 miles, my legs were already a little sore and my shin splint in my right leg was irritated as it was most of the first lap. Regardless, I set off and told myself to go as long as possible and don’t give up, just give it all! That’s just what I did too! I pushed, and the first thing I noticed as I started hittin’ the trail was how weird it feels to go from one shoe to the other. I felt off but within a quarter mile it was business as usual. I was pleasantly surprised to realize it didn’t hurt as much once I was in my NB’s. I really do love how light they are, it’s a dramatic difference you can feel within seconds. I ended up finish the second loop in almost exactly the same amount of time as I did the first loop. The results of this were not as I expected, I was more than sure I was gonna drag ass the second time but I proved myself wrong, which is one of the greatest feelings. Being able to go beyond what you expect to do is what it’s all about. Diggin’ deep and going that extra mile. 8 miles, check!

When I got home, I wasn’t done. I went straight to the basement for a classic weights workout.

  • 3 sets of 6 reps bench press – 3 grips, regular 1st set, close 2nd set, and wide 3rd set (low weight and reps because my shoulder is still healing)
  • 30 v-ups
  • 3 sets of 10 reps peck deck
  • 100 toe raises
  • 100 toe jumps
  • 100 bicycles
  • 25 medicine ball push ups
  • 3 sets of 10 reps tricep pull downs with the rope
  • 50 calf raises
  • 1 minute plank with feet on medicine ball
  • 10 medicine ball push ups

To finish off this wonderful night of gettin’ my fitness I spent some quality time with my best friend Mr.  Foam Roller. Remember to always focus on your stretching and recovery activities just as much as your workouts. As you know, a healthy body and a healthy mind result in a a happy life 🙂

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