I call Burma Road my favorite local dirt trail, but, in all honesty, I have not actually run on it very much. The problem is that its trail head is three uphill miles from my home. While I have run to it before, such workouts have merely incorporated a one-way mostly downhill stretch of the 2.5 mile long trail. I really need to drive to it if I want to focus on it as a five mile long out-and-back because its steep elevation changes can be exhausting.
Since this upcoming Saturday's half marathon is mostly trail based, I have been compelled to drive to Burma twice in the past five days...primarily to practice running on its hilly, uneven, and rocky surface. This also gives me a chance to get reacquainted with my Asics Kahanas (which, surprisingly, have covered almost as many miles in trail races as training runs). I have owned them almost as long as my first pair of Kayano 13s of which I am quickly wearing down my fourth pair.
Fortunately, the Kahanas still feel great. No hot spots to report.
Actually, my legs feel great, not just my feet. I think I have finally worked through all of the ankle, arch, and blistering issues I encountered last year. The knee has not been giving me problems since I recovered from the marathon. I suspect reducing my mileage has been key. I have not attempted more than a 14 miler in any one day since...and I have kept my average under 30 miles per week.
That said, I have been improving my pace. On Friday, I averaged 8:51/mile...way faster than previous efforts. I shaved another thirty seconds per mile off my average this morning. This is a trail I could barely average ten minutes per mile...today I ran only one mile that slow.
The Great Race is just days away. I am looking forward to it.
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