Trying out my new trail shoes in the woods...

I picked up some Salomon XT Hawk-2 trail shoes from Bushtukah last week and I was anxious to test them out, so I headed out for a nice easy run in the woods near my house. The trails in there are pretty easy and not overly technical, a few downed trees made it interesting as did the boggy mud near the golf course.

I am for the most part a road runner, but you can't beat running trails for sheer excitement and the level of awareness you need to maintain as you bound over logs and rocks, zig-zagging across the trail to avoid roots and debris. It makes a nice change from running at set paces, it is all done at a perceived exertion level that can be several minutes slower per kilometer depending on the terrain.

New shoes were awesome, they are really light, super comfortable, and have excellent traction over loose gravel, roots, logs etc. I got them nice and muddy when I hit a really wet part of the trail near the golf course.

I took my camera with me so I could fire off a few action shots and get to grips with posting reports in this blog. Now I have itchy feet to head up to Gatineau Park and hit some much more technical trails with elevation gains of as much as 1500 feet.

Overall a really nice run and a lot of fun, these woods are nice and close and I have walked in them many times but I definitely wouldn't hesitate to head back there again if I fancy a nice relaxed trail run away from the hustle and bustle of the city.