Tonight I conquered my fears and kicked off my training for the Mt Blanc Marathon 10k Trail Run. I know it sounds crazy to start training in November for a race which doesn’t occur until June but my coach and friend, Renaud, has great aspirations for me and those will not come without hard work. This evening’s trail run was a great diagnostic run, highlighting just how much work we have to do!
At 6pm we both changed from a work clothing into running gear, ready for a challenging run home. Finding a flat within walking distance of Renaud was one of the best ideas ever, by the way. It allows for plenty of time with this adorable little guy as well as proving to be very convenient for running together.
As Renaud strapped his spare headlamp to my head, ensuring it was tight enough, I reminded Renaud that as my coach, he needed to ensure I enjoyed tonight’s experience so I’d want to do it again versus feeling overwhelmed and defeated. Before we started running he shared tonight’s workout with me:
A short 1/2 mile warm up to the ramp. 3 repeats up the ramp as fast as possible, followed by the rest of our run which would take us to a trail along the river heading back into Geneva until we reach the Lake and city area for a total of 5k.
Our headlamps lighting the path, Renaud and I headed towards the river by way of sidewalks and smaller side roads. He reminded me that the goal was for me to run the entire time, stay safe, enjoy myself, and focus on breathing.
When we reached the ramp I realized that he wasn’t joking with the hill repeats. This ramp was not only steep but also covered in wet leaves and switched back and forth. I pushed through each repeat and in fact had my best time on the last one as I knew I could leave everything on the ramp as we’d have a recovery section of flat road heading towards the trail.
I felt a calm when we entered the trail as the only noise was the fast moving river, our breathing and our shoes against the leaves. The trail was about 1.5 miles of rolling hills including one steep hill. The headlamp worked perfectly on its brightest setting and surprisingly I never felt like I was going to trip. Before I knew it we were exiting the trail and the lights of Geneva were suddenly around us. I loved the faces of people who saw our head lamps emerging from the path. They thought we were crazy!
Renaud did a great job with tonight’s plan as 34 minutes later I was exhausted but excited for the training!
Our plan is to do one trail run per week in addition to a run up the Saleve every so often to serve as a practice for the actual race. To say I’m excited would be an understatement. It’s such a new, fun challenge for me and one that I know will also help me as I try to PR in some upcoming shorter road races!
In case you’re interested in trail running, these are a few articles I read before tonight’s run to help put my mind at ease and get prepared!
Trail Running Tips for Beginners
Trail Running Tips from Runners World
Tips for Trail Running at Night
Have you run on a trail before? If so, any tips to share with others?
