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Once I hit the trails in winter, I never went back

When he first hit the trails, the conditions were tough. Now though, when the work week ends on a Friday, Adam Blacklock is layering up and driving to the trail head close to work. With packed snow under foot, he spends the first hours of his weekend running in the forest.

Photos courtesy of Adam Blacklock.

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Friday afternoon comes to a close. The work week is over and while many are unwinding by heading to a nearby pub or towards home to make a dent in the Netflix list, Adam Blacklock is en route to the trail head. At work, he’s brought exactly what he needs: the trustworthy base layer, a cozy mid-layer, a shell to stand up to cutting winds, a pack with water, two layers for the hands and a Buff. And trail shoes. Those are the essentials. Dressing right for hours on the trail used to be a lot of trial and error but leaving work on Friday evening, Blacklock has what he needs. He gets in his car and drives over to the London, Ont. trail head. “I like the solo time,” he says.

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At this time on Friday, the trail is pretty much empty save for a couple dog walkers and maybe another runner every once in awhile. Having sat in a toasty, warm car on the way over, it takes a little convincing to step outside. But he does. These days, it’s still bright outside by the time Blacklock arrives but he’s got his headlamp set for when the Blacklock2lighting starts to dim. He gets going and the sound of the snow crunching under foot is comforting– the initials doubts are gone. He’s ready to settle into hours of just concentrating on getting his footing right and enjoying being out in nature. It’s a lot different from running on roads like he used to. “Being out on trails, you don’t have to deal with cars. You deal with the elements and you deal with the trail,” says Blacklock.

The run lasts anywhere from two to six hours. Setting out on the trail, he’s in the middle of a forest. It’s quiet and sheltered so the cold isn’t of concern. “I don’t find the temperature matters as much as the footing,” says Blacklock. “That’s what matters the most.” Only when the trail opens up to sections of open field, does Blacklock feel the sting of winter. For a stretch, the trees thin and it’s nothing but long grass and snow swept trail. It’s bleak and windy and what makes it difficult is that this section is that it’s also the beginning of a tough up hill. At least it makes for a challenge.

Here’s the thing about trail running: because the conditions vary so much, the trail is never the same. One day, a fresh snow cover will leave roots and rocks hidden just underneath the surface (on these days, running the trail takes extra concentration) and the next week, layers of packed snow leave the technical elements completely buried. But fast forward a week or two and melting slush makes the run slow going and messy– to say the least.

“It was a lot more of a challenge than I anticipated but I enjoyed the beauty of it all,” says Blacklock about starting trail running three and a half years ago. He had been doing runs on the road and a friend convinced him to switch the terrain. At first, it was tough. His ankles hurt, the pace was much slower, it was way different than the road.

Eventually though, he met people in the city’s trail running community. Run club the London Pacers heads to this same location and will bump into a runner he knows every so often. It went from being a type of running he was curious about trying out to the main style of running that he does.

That has gone on to include races and ultras like the Sulphur Springs Trail Race, The North Face 50 Miles and, most recently, the Oracle Trail Race in Ontario where screws in the bottoms of his shoes added much-needed traction on an icy course and the temperatures dropped to a windchill of almost -40C. “I’ll definitely go back,” says Blacklock.

When Blacklock reaches the top of that windswept hill, the hardest part of the run is over. Technical terrain will take all of his concentration but on the flat sections that stretch out after getting to the top of the incline, he gets to zone out and think about his next ultra. Or, he just looks around and is happy to get to spend his Friday night in the forest and fresh air. “You really enjoy the beauty of the snow and the trees,” he says. “Don’t be afraid of the trails in winter– they’re beautiful.”

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