Last week my friend Melissa asked me if I would be interested in joining her for a trail run. The challenge: The Eve of Hallows 6.66km Trail Run!

I accepted with one condition, she join me prior to the race for my BodyPump new release class. What better way to warm up than 800 reps of squats, lunges, crunches and overhead presses?

The run was hosted at Camp Fortune, a local ski facility in the Gatineau Hills. We drove up to the meeting area where we were greeted by about 75-100 runners dressed in costumes and a sea of headlamps to help guide the way.

For a fall evening the weather was perfect: a balmy 16 degrees Celsius with a picture perfect sky transitioning from sunset to a brightly lit full moon.

My experience running the race goes something like this:

• Start with hiking up a full blown ski hill with slippery patches of wet grass and mud. Usually hills like this are not made to climb up, hence the term downhill skiing.
• Once at the top we entered the tree covered trail and ran over random inclines of rocks and stones. I counted rolling my ankle about 4 times, but it bounced back nicely.
• As we continued on we would fall into hidden puddles of cold mud above the knee (smart choice on my part to break in a new pair of running shoes – oops!)
• And then the zombies came! As they chased us I tried to get away and ran into a few branches and trees.
• A few more rolled ankles later (maybe I should get that checked out?) and we finished our way to the end of the trail and back down the hill.

So would I do it again? You bet! The exhilaration of running into a trail that you have no idea where you are going is a liberating experience. You feel free following a trail that takes you through twists and turns giving you an adrenalin rush. Meeting fellow runners and supporting them by asking if they are ok after they have fallen and hurt themselves is definitely a bonding experience. The perfect warm air, the full moon, the ominous shadows of the trees truly created an atmosphere that captured that Halloween spirit.

Thank you to Melissa, Angie, Elie and Stephanie for joining me in this unique experience. Let’s do it again – but maybe in a less spooky setting. With winter just around the corner an early morning run through freshly snow covered trails will be a heavenly experience compared to this.

Trail Run Smiles (Steph,Scary Movie dude, Me, Melissa, Angie, Elie)