Sometimes life doesn’t go quite as you planned. Having successfully completed the Dopey challenge I was planning on continuing with road running, looking at the New York, Marine Corps and London marathons … then what I thought was just a muscle strain turned into a year away from running, after 2 hip surgeries for labral tears.
Reality
Recovering from surgery gave me time to think. After a year I would be starting from scratch. I love running but training on roads had been getting monotonous. Were there other options?
Several friends compete in Spartan races. Obstacle course racing has never really appealed, but trail racing caught my attention. A “quick” internet search showed training is not dissimilar to marathon training – maybe this could be my new challenge.
Rebooting
Time to reevaluate. What changes would a move to trail running bring? Would I have the time and resources?
Running on trails brings with it different challenges. On roads I can get away with “zoning out” as I run, as surfaces are even and predictable.
As has been brought home several times over the past couple of months, this is not the case with trails. Changes in surface with obstacles (tree roots etc) require change in training. More physical strength and flexibility are required, as is mental toughness and concentration.
Barely a week goes by when I don’t fall (which according to trail runners I’ve spoken to is pretty much par for the course for a newbie). 
Trails would also involve a change of footwear, from a smoother soled road shoe to a more aggressive, lugged trail sole. Fueling would move from gels and water/Gatorade at water stations to “real food” and a hydration pack.
Trail Running
I decided on a local 50k trail ultra, a distance not too much of an increase over the marathon, and with regular physical therapy and strength training, manageable despite my starting running from scratch.
Or so I thought …
Within a couple of months of surgery the COVID epidemic hit. I lost access to physical therapy and personal training 
became remote and limited to resistance bands and the 5lb dumbbells I had at home. Thankfully having a bike on indoor rollers and a Nordic Track skier cross training was also still on the table.
The first week was horrible. Even with 3 minute walk, 1 minute run intervals I was struggling, a consequence of lost cardiorespiratory function, and atrophied/weak musculature. It was tempting to push hard to make certain I reached my goal, but to do so would inevitably have caused further injury and destroyed my chances. Instead progress was planned cautiously, starting with a rotation of 1 run, 1 indoor bike or skier, 1 rest with no focus on pace. Increases were gradual, around 10% per week, with the option to take a day off if I felt overly tired or sore.
Lessons learned
Three months in and running is a lot easier. I’m spending more time working on flexibility and strength training, focusing on eating, adapting my training day by day based on input from my body and devices (Oura, Garmin, HRV4Training). My breathing and heart rate are better, pace is gradually improving, and I’m able to run 5 miles continuously on the road and have completed 9 mile trail training runs.
The reality check has been how much slower I am running on trails. I thought would be an easy change, losing 
maybe a minute a mile … I’m currently 3 mins a mile and that is just over course of 5-8 miles. That being said I really don’t look at my pace any more. Where on roads I was focused on just “getting the job done”, on the trail I’m enjoying the environment and scenery, walking as needed, stopping to take photographs or enjoy the view.
Trail running has opened up a whole new world to me, one I’m really liking. My mindset has changed. No longer is everything focused on racing, rather it’s about enjoying running and the process of improving. Racing is the icing on the cake, and it will be ok if I don’t finish … But … I already feel better in myself so who knows what may be possible.
