Trail Run at Clinton Nature Preserve

Clinton Nature Preserve Trail - Much Better Than Looking at a Gym Wall

Today was a beautifully temperate winter day so I took the opportunity to go on a trail run at Clinton Nature Preserve.  I had no particular route in mind and my only goal was to run for at least 40 minutes but preferably no more than 50 minutes.  Setting a time goal instead of a distance goal is much better for trail running as the terrain variation will make your pace slower than normal anyway while giving an added workout to stability muscles while going over rocks, limbs, etc.  It's also more difficult to hit a goal time or distance exactly as, unlike in the gym, you can't just stop whenever and wherever you want and be within short walking distance of your car.  So, it takes a little more planning to run on trails and until you learn the network of trails in the park or area where you wish to run you need to plan for the unexpected as much as possible.  If you'll remember, this nature preserve is where I got lost while trying to follow the entire red trail.

To track this run I decided to use my husband's Nike GPS Watch which he rarely uses.  I used that in combination with my New Balance Minimus shoes with the Nike+ pod nestled in a pouch attached to the shoe.  The big disadvantage that I've noticed in using the pouch on shoes that are not Nike+ compatible is that the sensor isn't as accurate.  Sometimes it'll underestimate the pace and distance and other times it'll overestimate it.  I guess there's something about the pouch that means the pod isn't as secure as when it's in the Nike+ shoe.  I smell a Nike conspiracy.  Anyway, the pod in this case was just a backup in case the GPS went out.  I was able to recalibrate the Nike GPS watch to my sensor pretty easily but there was no way to change the Nike+ account associated with the watch so the run got logged under my husband's account.  At least it made his numbers look good.

Nike GPS Watch and NB Minimus with shoe pouch (that shiny thing is the pouch)

My run was pretty enjoyable.  It was nice to get back out on the trails after running solely on a treadmill for a couple of weeks.  Too bad this nice weather isn't likely to last all winter.  I saw only two other people on the trails as well as a couple on a bench which they probably thought was secluded enough that no one would see them (but I am a forest ninja).  Every time I come across a couple on a secret rendezvous in a park they're almost always adults and hardly ever teenagers.  It makes me wonder if there's some secret affair going on as adults don't need a secluded area of a park to make out.  Anyway, I finished the run with no issues and without falling down this time (always a plus).

Today's Workout:
5 Mile run in 46:25 with an avg pace of 9'15"