“Chasing Your Trail-Running Potential Takes Many Years, So Keep Believing – The importance of zooming out and putting in the process-focused training.”
That’s the title of David Roche’s article, and I could not agree more!
I ran both cross-country and track in middle/high school, the occasional road 5k, along with training runs throughout the summer growing up. We had about a mile-long trail at our high school that would be used for workouts and/or cool-down runs, but aside from that, I never went trail running (especially single-track, Superior Hiking Trail-style running).
Ok, I take that back. I did go once up in the middle of the Superior National Forest on a trail system connecting a bunch of small, backwoods lakes with my brother. It was probably the longest run in either of our lives to that point, but we didn’t seem to get tired and had an absolute blast doing it!
That experience, combined with how much I enjoyed running on that one-mile trail near school, and I probably should have pursued trail running a lot earlier vs. hitting the pavement (mainly on the Lakewalk during lunch) after hockey was over. But that’s the way life goes and I was reluctant to stop running on the Lakewalk everyday and head up into the woods (which are surprisingly accessible from downtown Duluth).
David hits on many great points in his article (please go read it if you haven’t already, it’s really well written!), including: the fact that chasing your potential is scary, it takes time, and belief over the long haul is key.
I definitely get a bit scared along the way while dreaming up my next crazy endeavor. Whether it’s signing-up/training for another 50 mile race, dreams of a full SHT thru-hike (possibly with some sort of FKT aspirations), or simply doing my first solo canoe or backpacking trip (still needs to be checked off the list!), it can be a bit scary hitting the submit button or taking the time off of work to pursue. But in my experience, even if things don’t work out quite how you planned, it’s worth chasing your dreams and challenging yourself along the way.
I would love to say that you can go from couch to 50 miler in 2 weeks, but that would be both unwise and untrue, likely leading to serious injury for most people. Training for something like that takes time, and it’s not exactly glamorous along the way. But by putting in the time to train consistently, and believing in yourself over the long haul, great things can happen!
This same thinking is a major part of the foundation and philosophy for Duluth Runner Coaching as well, and has been since the beginning.
Our training philosophy is based on being committed to your long-term health and happiness. If everything is going well, the training process should enhance your joy for running and life in general at the same time. Although our focus is mainly one week at a time, long-term fitness building is at the heart of everything we do – and that long-term mindset can be very beneficial.
Trail running has a special place within the running scene in my mind, as it’s not always the young 20-somethings on the podium. Yeah, that certainly happens, but more-often-than not it seems like there are one or more 40- and 50-year-olds duking it out for the win and getting their names announced in the top 3, 5, etc. I can also personally attest to the fact that they go flying by you on the trail just as fast as those half their age 🙂
By witnessing these things unfold first-hand on the trail, it makes me excited not only for what my own running progress might look like in 5-10 years, but also those of our athletes. It’s hard not to get excited about the potential just waiting to be unlocked!
To all the endurance athletes out there – keep working towards your goals through each training day/week/month, and be sure to give yourself an opportunity to rest! Oh, and you’re allowed to HAVE FUN ALONG THE WAY – so get outside and have a blast!