Making time to run on my holiday is a priority. No excuses for me! I found the Halifax Trail Runners online and convinced Tanya weeks ago to join a planned run. Tanya is relatively new to running but I knew once she left the pavement for the trails, she would be hooked! (Verdict: She loved it! And she’s in great shape!)
I went off trail a few times because I was too busy looking at my feet. (Not recommended). There was a man behind me who was the “sweeper” and he took his job seriously. Truth be told I wanted to strangle him but in a very nice way. I know he meant well but I wasn’t feeling “his advice.” Yes, I may have snapped at him.
Tanya picked me up at my hotel. We drove to the start of the trail head – Long Lake Provincial Park. I wasn’t sure what expect. There were A LOT of runners of all shapes and sizes. Very encouraging for us! I was so bloody hot. I put a few electrolytes in my water to stave off my dehydration.
The group was well-organized. There was a sign in and sign out sheet so no one gets left behind. Very cool and safe. There may have been about 30 runners. They divided us into fast, medium and “just happy to be there” groups. We went with the big medium group. Actually I think the fast and medium group merged into one.
THE RUN
We set off down the hill and onto the trail. Tanya and I were settled at the back. There was no easing into this run. I’m not sure what the pace was but I found it extremely quick to start. It could have been the weather or the unfamiliar terrain but I was taking it slow to start. We ran over a mix of granite rock and tree roots. I’m cool with the roots but I was taken back by the rocks. I was sightly nervous about jumping on and over the rocks.
I went off trail a few times because I was too busy looking at my feet. (Not recommended). There was a man behind me who was the “sweeper” and he took his job seriously. Truth be told I wanted to strangle him but in a very nice way. I know he meant well but I wasn’t feeling “his advice.” Yes, I may have snapped at him.
I was just feeling more comfortable on the trail when it was over. It was really quite nice minus the rocks!
We headed to a pub for some well-deserved beer and grub! Awesome day!