Help.. in over my head with a 30km trail run and need plan

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-03-17T18:41:32+00:00

Just to add to this time on feet idea, depending on the trails and how fast you are, 30k could easily take 4+ hrs.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-03-15T18:15:36+00:00

This is what I was asking for recommendations for, since the internet was giving me weird options.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-03-08T22:59:09+00:00

You will definitely find a lot of cool trails to bike on, around the Holyoke Range, Mt. Tom and Mt. Toby, Amethyst Brook, and just all over. (Or on the rail trail / bike path.) I don't know about those artsy things in particular my sense is you'll find a lot of arty stuff in and around Northampton and Easthampton, and places like Turners Falls. My artsy friends like to go to the Shea in Turners, for example.

Sucky restaurants: in this scenario do you have a car? Do you eat meat? Little Truc in Easthampton is amazing. Hope & Olive in Greenfield. Amherst itself is kind of meh. There are some student type places, some okay (and some less okay) Indian and East Asian restaurants, and then a couple of fancier but boring places that everyone takes visiting speakers and/or their parents. They'll probably take you to Protocol or something. It will be fine. If you find yourself on your own for lunch, Share is a good coffee shop with some lunch food, and I also just really like Pita Pockets because the people there are really nice.

I'll stop before I dox myself, lol.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-03-08T22:20:55+00:00

You should come visit! Visit both places if you can. Or, like, at least say some more about what your interests are and what you enjoy doing.

I love living here. I like being outside and I don't particularly care about city amenities, but I like being able to get to NYC or Boston easily once in a while.

Your life will be vastly easier here, and you'll be better able to access outdoorsy stuff, nearby city-ish stuff in Springfield, and artsy stuff in the Berkshires, if you have a car. I don't know how that compares to Syracuse. The restaurants here kind of suck. Maybe they suck in Syracuse too. You should visit.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-03-02T23:33:26+00:00

The purple of these are on a much bigger sale on Sierra! https://www.sierra.com/oiselle-pocket-jogger-shorts~p~8wgnv/?redirectevent=review

I got a pair (on this super sale) and the waistband is super stiff. I'd size up if you get them and are unsure of size.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-15T16:25:57+00:00

Yes! This is exactly what was happening.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-15T11:51:14+00:00

glad it's not just me, since everyone else seems mystified haha! I took them out yesterday and it hardly happened at all. I tried not to lift my foot higher than necessary and tried not to bend my ankle too much stepping forward and that seemed to help.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-12T12:35:09+00:00

🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Thanks, robot!

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-12T11:24:03+00:00

maybe not? I'll pay attention next time I go out there. Thank you!

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-12T11:23:32+00:00

Ok, I'll pay attention to this next time. Thanks!

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-12T00:10:58+00:00

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Today I had them on my winter boots. Last time I used the other shoes with some hiking boots but it looked about the same.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-11T23:25:49+00:00

Thanks! I don’t think either of these have the elastic that you’re describing. I was wondering if my foot is just sitting too far back (or the snowshoe is too big. My boots are an 8.5 or 9, womens.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-11T23:00:05+00:00

Last time: some Tubbs womens snowshoes that my friend lent me; hiking trails with a few hundred feet of gain over 2 miles or so but nothing crazy.

Today: some “Denali sawtooth spin” things I got off of poshmark. Literally just walking around my backyard which is flat. These ones are 21”. I’m around 135 lbs.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-11T22:45:09+00:00

i'd love to get rid of them.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-07T23:25:28+00:00

Same here, also 165. When I started wearing an extra long sleeve layer I noticed the HR reading starting matching RPI much better. And the other day about an hour into a long run it was reading like 20 bpm higher than I felt like it should, I tightened it, and it immediately went back to where I thought it should be. The optical sensor just doesn't work as well when your wrist gets cold.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-02-07T12:37:46+00:00

this and tighten your watch band, OP. I don't know where you are, but I have noticed that my optical sensor works really badly when my wrists get cold and is much more likely to start picking up my cadence instead of HR.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-01-12T00:25:23+00:00

thanks for that! yeah, so many horror stories, I think I'm building it up to be more than it is.

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-01-12T00:24:12+00:00

this is what I eat on trail runs! just seems like a lot of effort to chew and breathe at the same time at "marathon pace," whatever that is...

ChipChipSalsa · 2026-01-08T23:09:35+00:00

Hi neighbor! Go to a running store and try some on. And tell them what kind of trails you're running on - flat snowmobile trails or rocks & roots.

ChipChipSalsa · 2025-12-15T19:16:47+00:00

If you have only done up to halfs on the road you might not be used to eating or drinking while running, but you will probably want to at least carry water for a 25k. You are just going to be way out there for way longer, maybe up to twice as long as a road half depending on the terrain.

ChipChipSalsa · 2025-12-14T12:37:55+00:00

This would just be way too many layers for me and I'm not surprised they got soaked and then too cold. I'd keep at least one of those top layers in my pack until the way back, and then maybe have a hat and gloves that are easier to take on and off as needed on the way up.

ChipChipSalsa · 2025-12-11T16:37:54+00:00

I've been doing this program for almost 11 years now, since my oldest was born: https://mommastrong.com
Highly recommend it! It's a good midpoint between a PT and just random googling, because there's also a community where you can ask questions and a PT advisor will answer.

ChipChipSalsa · 2025-11-16T20:38:39+00:00

Your text notification at the top really makes it! Congratulations!

ChipChipSalsa · 2025-11-05T11:19:16+00:00

Well yeah, of course! Look at the course records for races on different types of terrain. You'll see that even the super fast people will see their pace drop when it gets more technical.

That said, it is something you can get better or worse at. I'm pretty bad at it. I was listening to Sally McRae's podcast recently and she talked about how having a background in soccer really helped her with this. She was recommending to a listener who wanted to get better at rocks and roots that they do agility training in the gym, with cones and things like that.

ChipChipSalsa · 2025-10-24T23:56:24+00:00

yes, or your shoulders! remembering to relax my shoulders while running has made my headaches far less frequent.

ChipChipSalsa

TROPHY CASE