Friday, May 04, 2007

Mid-Week Training Run 5/3

Blue Hills - Skyline Trail



Enjoyed the Blue Hills Skyline Trail yesterday under a sunny sky! It’s wonderful to have this pristine, challenging and rugged terrain at my front doorsteps without the hassle of driving 3 hours to New Hampshire or Western Mass. I started the run at a park & ride off Rt 138 ran 12miles out and back enjoyed stunning views of the surrounding area atop Great Blue, Buck Hill and Chickatawbut Hill. The trails are in great shape and most the mud has dried, a few small steam crossings but nothing major. Caught some interesting views of this brush fire -

Brush Fire

Wish I brought my camera.

Montrail Hardrock Review - I could live in these shoes

For quite some time I’ve been looking for a trail running shoe that can handle rugged terrain, such as loose rocks, gravel, exposed granite, and variety of step accents/descents. Yesterday I laced these bad boys up for my trail run and the future is certainly looking brighter after experiencing the Hardrock’s capabilities first hand. I was a little skeptical at first because the Hardrock’s are built more like a hiking shoe than a running shoe, very stiff and a bit heavier than what I’m use to running in plus the past Montrail shoes I’ve tried have been too wide for my narrow feet. After a mile or two I was bounding down the trail, bouncing off jagged rocks, leaping down granite ledges, dashing over water and gaining confidence every footstep. On these long runs I usually get some type of knee pain but thanks to the wonderful cushioning/support of the Hardrock’s my legs and knees felt better than they have in a long time.

Up and Onward