Actually, "not a fan" is an understatement. Ever since I started running a couple of years ago, the apshalt, concrete and grass always seemed to beckon with a certain openness. The trails seemed to always reject me much in the same way that Lebron rejected the Cavs. Okay maybe not that harsh, but you get the idea.
Ever since me and Abby drudged our way through the New Balance Trail Adventure at Nuvali, people have always been asking me "Why? Trails are awesome!". And as much as New Balance and race director extraordinaire Neville Manaois did a spectacular job in organizing the race amidst a spectacular backdrop, it just seems that one man's pleasure is another's poison. Let me count the ways... .
What Fun...
Trail shoes... . or the lack thereof.
It's like the veritable chicken-or-egg debate. I constantly whine on trails because my feet hurt in the absence of a serviceable pair of trail shoes. A poor flat-footed lackey like me will surely struggle with the treacherous terrain. But then again, I never really got about to buying a pair... .. for the simple reason that I practically never run trails. Hmmmmm.
This little piggy wore badminton shoes to the trail... ..
I don't like getting my feet wet in bacteria-infested swamps
Usually, wet feet and wet socks equate into wet blisters for me. So I sort of abhor any form of liquid on my shoes. Last time, I literally had to plunge my entire foot into the murky looking brook/swamp thing. And while I am not as mysophobic as Emma from Glee, wading through seemingly malaria-infested waters is sorta not my thing. Although it seems I'm a tad bit maarte for my purported Gingerbread tough guy image, I guess I grew up watching too many National Geographic specials on PTV-4.
Germs! Germs!If I wanted to climb rocks... ..
I would have been a mountain climber, and not a runner. I didn't know that the words "trail" and "climbing" would somehow go hand in hand. I had to make hawak the yucky rocks and eewy ropes. So kadiri. :P
Cleaning the mud off my shoes right after is not my kind of thing
Once again, in the absence of trail shoes I use my standard lighweight road shoes. Being totally immersed in mud, the cleaning part right after doesn't exactly enthuse me. And somehow, even after a day at the cleaners, there's this weird notion that the shoes are never the same again. Much akin to a person who was subject to a harrowing event and was traumatized for the rest of their life. Why do I get the notion that my shoes go through the same thing? I refuse to put my plush road shoes through any form of psychological trauma that would scar them forever. Case closed.
Shoes look great in muck.
And last, and probably most importantly... .
I'm speed bagal in trail runs
Not that I'm necessarily fast, but I don't like going slow either. During the latest New Balance trail gig , I believe we finished the entire 16k race in just over an three hours. Three hours! For a 10-miler! What fun! That's if you equate drudgery with fun that is.
Ayaw na...
In all seriousness though, comparing road and trail runs would be like looking at apples and oranges. They are distinctly different, and all appeal to a certain running palate much in the same way that some of you may not have the stomach for that certain 102k race we completed awhile back. But isn't that the beauty of running? You can always find your own niche, be it a 5k sprint, a 102k ultramarathon or a 16k trail run. Happiness is relative, and running will always give you that option.
Muddy tracks and all. :)