Over the past four weeks, I’ve run in bulky shoes on four occasions (Brooks Launch twice; INOV-8 F-Lite 305 and Brooks Cascadia once). All the rest of my runs have been with racing flats or VFF KSOs. To be honest, until I looked through my training log a few minutes ago, I thought it was an even split. I haven’t followed an intentional strategy for transitioning to more minimalist footwear, but I’ve clearly demonstrated a preference for lighter and less bulky shoes.

After a quick review of this week’s totals, the minimalist running tagline can also be applied to my training schedule. Due to a scheduled day off (the Monday special), and then having to attend an evening event for work (short notice), I lost two days right off the bat. And then due to slippery conditions, tiredness, traveling out of town and participating in a short snowshoe race, I only managed to fit in one run that lasted at least two hours. But life goes on. And a new week starts tomorrow.

I ran my first snowshoe race on Saturday. Hosted by Spafford Health and Adventure (thanks for all your hard work, Derrick and family!), the 8 KM (or maybe 7.3 KM) race was held at Frontenac Park. Including this race, I’ve only run in snowshoes on four occasions, three of which have been at Frontenac. It’s a beautiful place to visit, so I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the race. Rochelle came along as well, so while I raced, she went on a hike along the Doe Lake trail. She is now a fan of Frontenac as well.

I had fun racing, but I didn’t feel too smooth on the snowshoes and managed to bang up the inside of my left leg quite a bit. After the first few minutes of hanging behind the lead pack, I settled into a more comfortable pace and cruised along for the duration of the race. While there’s no way I would have been able to challenge the top finishers, I feel like I wimped out a bit by not pushing myself a bit more. And since I went out for a run later that afternoon, I obviously didn’t exert myself too much out there. I’m not sure what I need to do to develop some more mental toughness. I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to pushing myself in races and tough workouts.

It was very cool to meet Derrick and Keith at the race. Keith gave me some great tips for speed and hill work, so I’ll try to incorporate them into my schedule.

I’m running a 50-mile race in just over 11 weeks (and then a 100-miler in just over 17), so I need to get in some serious training. This weekend will be the start of the long runs, as I’ve kept all my runs for the past few months to four hours or less. It’s time to start ramping up.

Weekly Total: 7:26 (0:45 trails; 6:01 road; 0:40 snowshoes)