Well, I started listening to “RunYou” podcast, which is about the benefits of running, about two years ago. In this podcast, people with different experiences on running share their stories and the journey they took to become professional runners. Therefore, I got incentivized to start running myself, and I began to run from a very beginner level. Going forward, the passion for running in the woods or mountains, which is called trail running, grew in me, as I also happened to hear about it from the podcast’s guests. They talked about how it doubled their joy from running and gave them the chance to notice things in their surroundings while running that they wouldn’t have had if they just walked around in the place. For example, one of them said that she got so excited about the shape of a plant leaf that she knew she wouldn’t have paid much attention to it if she just walked by the plant.
So far, I have not had the chance to try it myself, but the thought of running on mountains or hills, while watching and grasping the energy from all the natural beauties around you must be an extraordinary experience. The fact that it probably won’t be that much easy or enjoyable on first attempts, should not discourage one from taking the chance of improvement and success. Although I have run in parks so many times and I am not a beginner anymore, I think there is a long way for me to go in order to get ready for trail running. But I’m on the path.
There are a lot of workouts that need to be done for muscle strength, before trying running on the hills for real, since otherwise, you will get painful muscle spasms which may stop you for at least a week to try the trail running again. Or even worse, your feet may get injured. So it’s really important to get fully prepared before trying it.
To think about how difficult it is and how one must get prepared for it, actually makes me really excited and seems a real challenge to me that must be overcome and after that, enjoy feeling the power it brings.