Mile Repeats on the Trails

How many of you have ever followed a training plan that included intervals, tempo runs, or speed work of any kind? Most runners have and most end up doing track work. I don't have anything against track workouts, it's just that I don't have any interest in doing them anymore. I would rather continue to hit the trails. A wise man (or woman) once said, "Hills are just speedwork in disguise." Most of the trails around here have plenty of hills, so I should get plenty of "speedwork".

This morning I hit the Port Gamble Trail System again. I ran 5 miles or so looking for a nice single track loop to do some future mile repeats. I found a sweet loop of approximately 1.25 miles or so. The loop included beautiful rolling single track interspersed with a stretch of logging road. For those of you who live locally, start at Gate 3 and hit the single track between G-2100 and G-1800. If you are interested in repeat loops of any distance, you will have a blast. The photos on this post all come from the mile loop, the view is quite a bit better than what you will see at the track.


This evening I plan on exploring another section of single track up near G-1700 and G-1800. The single track isn't listed on the map, but I will try to describe it well enough for the locals to check it out! Click here for map of the area.

Looking for an article regarding a workout trilogy for a hectic schedule? Click here for a good article from Trail Runner Magazine.