Trail Running

Last evening, I went for my second-ever group trail run, and it was tough going.  It was a pretty hot day, and I had also not fully recovered from my trail run on Saturday morning. I knew I was running after a two-week break so if I pushed myself, I would bear the consequences. And, I did. 12 kms with a sizeable ascent was not a good idea, and I can't remember the last time I felt so pooped. I was lucky I didn't have other plans for the weekend, because I may have had to drop them. For a long time now, I have known that I am someone who tends to push themselves too much physically and that I need to do a better job of listening to my body. I have struggled with a unstable shoulder for years now, not least because I push myself too much, which puts me back to square one, which frustrates me further, and the cycle continues. Now, I have resumed a routine that I found helpful in the past, up to the point where I overdid it. Now, I'm taking my time with the routine and enjoying it more. And, enjoyment is the point of it. I took up trail-running because I did some fabulous trail runs on a recent holiday. Think running through forests, green meadows and mist-soaked hills with no soul in sight and the wind in my face. Enough physical exertion to get the dopamines going, but not so much that I couldn't enjoy my surroundings. The past few trail runs in Bristol have not been enjoyable because I have approached them as tasks to be conquered. It doesn't help that having Strava on your phone pushes you to go faster. So, I guess I need to pace myself, both during runs and in choosing runs. My next run is going to be a pretty short run, I reckon.