Trail Race Notes

Observations Whilst Kneading

Late Friday afternoon and my weekend plans changed for the better with an unexpected offer to help with post-event massage at the Bastille Day Trail Run in Franschoek.

With the weather forecast predicting morning rain on Saturday and me being undecided what to do exercise-wise, this was the perfect opportunity to be productive whilst reaping the benefits of some enforced rest. I could enjoy my weekend cycle on Sunday whilst gaining some more valuable work experience in the field of sports massage.

I haven't been to a trail running event for some years and was certainly impressed how the sport has since grown and evolved. There were over one thousand participants spread across the three distances on offer, with each of the events offering a challenging course in the mountains surrounding the Berg River Dam.

Trail running differs markedly from sister disciplines that I normally participate in, i.e. road running and cross-country. Participants need to carry various safety equipment as well as their own hydration. I'm not sure if I could handle carrying so many things during a race - running home with a rucksack full of clothes and empty lunch boxes once weekly is enough for me. Only this past February was I running one Saturday morning in the Constantiaberg mountains and came across a few trail runners. These guys were fully kitted out in bright Lycra clothing complete with hydration bladders, backpacks and heart rate monitors. In stark contrast, I was wearing a pair of old Polly Shorts with my T-shirt tied around my waist, complete with road running shoes and no watch. One of the kitted out fellows chirped "how's your Camelbak?" as we crossed paths. I guess that I just like to run bare. Same with cycling - the less "stuff" I need to carry, the better.

Our "massage kraal" around the heater.

Once the first competitors finished, the flood gates opened as far as massage was concerned, keeping us busy until lunchtime. Some observations from our few hours of kneading:

• the most common source of tenderness amongst competitors was in the calf/soleus/Achilles tendon area. This was unsurprising given the amount of climbing encountered in the respective events. Incidentally, a strained soleus muscle is a personal warning sign for my own running. Whenever I've done an extended amount of mileage, lots of hilly running or am in need of some scaling back, my soleus muscles inform me accordingly, normally by means of a tender calcaneus. This was certainly the case late last week, with my intuition telling me to ease off for a while. Then the phone rang late Friday, thus ensuring some enforced time off the legs, a good indicator of some things indeed happening for a reason.
• Many participants with tight calf/soleus/Achilles tendons seemed intent on performing the usual static stretches for instant relief, effectively imitating a person trying to push down a wall. After a lifetime of stretching, I have eventually come to learn that conventional calf muscle stretching is probably one of the worst things a person can do. Rather concentrate on strengthening your feet and if you have tight calf muscles, do some backwards walking, which is far more functional and a low impact eccentric movement to boot.
• Whilst most participants wore various brands of trail running shoes, there was one fellow who sported a pair of Vibram BIKILA minimalist "shoes". Given the rocky nature of the terrain made this rather astounding. Even more interesting was that this guy finished quite high up in the 24km event placings and appeared to be in distinctly less discomfort than most of his fellow competitors. Whilst minimalist footwear is not for everyone, the single most beneficial factor is that it naturally encourages a higher foot cadence, in turn resulting in a softer landing. The athlete in question was clearly a yogi, maintaining a perfect posture  whilst sitting patiently on a plastic chair waiting for a massage. A stark contrast to many other finishers slouching around in various degrees of discomfort and euphoria.

Unlikely mountain running footwear...

...for this kind of surface. Works for some though.

A last minute change of plans resulted in an unexpected enforced rest on my part. This certainly recharged my batteries as opposed to spending the Saturday morning doing what I usually do i.e. 5:30am group bike ride, shopping, house work, midday massage treatment for a client or two etc. Sometimes it's good to get out of the swing of things to recharge both physically and mentally. That said, I did eventually go for a less than 45 minute run around the local forest in the late afternoon. Purposely keeping the pace slow as well the smell of damp pines produced a euphoria akin to runner's high.

Thanks to Hilana, Willie and Trevor for making the morning's work possible. Please keep me on your mailing list.