Oh won’t somebody let me in
I’m stinking and I’m full of gin
No need to close the door so fast
I’m very fragile not built to last.
– Colin James Hay
So, just the other day I went out for a trail run. This in itself isn’t all that noteworthy, as I get out at least once a week. What was different however, and indeed the whole point of this upcoming piece, is that I was using poles. This is something that I’d never done before. In fact, I might have even been an anti-pole proselytizer. But… one run… and Boom, I’m a convert!
I won’t lie. At first I felt like a baby giraffe taking its first steps, but I soon got into the rhythm of the thing.
The trail in question was a short but mostly very technical one. Out and back. I didn’t use the poles on the outbound ascent; which had about 400m of elevation gain, of which I mostly hiked due to the steep rocky nature of it. I busted out the poles at the turnaround point, fully intending to hike most of it back down. To my amazement it turned into a full-on run right from the get go.
A little note on the poles that I was using is needed. These were some inexpensive ones that I had inherited from my dad. What he had them for is anybody’s guess, because I never saw him using them at any point. They are bulky, heavy, and somewhat broken. They are however collapsible, and adjustable. Although they did slip out of adjustment several times.
I soon found myself hauling ass down this trail. The stability the poles provided not only worked in a practical fashion, but also gave me the confidence to really push it, over some very tight and steep technical sections. Like doing a mogul run in the X-games. When I wasn’t using the poles to actually touch the ground with, I found that I was using them as a means of balance much the same as an equilibrist uses their balancing pole. In the very few flat sections of the trail I would switch to carrying the poles. Either, one in each hand, or both in one hand or the other as feeling dictated. Once I had navigated through to the open and flat last kilometer or so I collapsed the poles and easily stowed them on my running vest.
This experience was so profound that I knew that I needed to, and without delay purchase some serious poles. This is what led me to these…
Black Diamond Carbon Z
Weight: 280gm (pair) Collapsed Length: 40cm Features: Interchangeable tips (rubber and carbide) and snow baskets.
I was like a kid with an all day lollipop the first time I used these. I took them on a short 4km pretty technical run that had about 170m elevation. I used them on both the uphill and downhill sections. But here’s the deal. I didn’t have even close to the feeling I had with the old poles. I think I know what the issue is though… these new ones are very spindly looking, light, and expensive. I believe this was causing me more than a bit of trepidation; holding me back from really using them aggressively to there, and my full potential. That being said… I did pull out a PR on this run…
Some time has passed and I’m finally getting around to finishing this piece. I had been waiting until I got a few more activities in using the poles. I’ve used them 7 or 8 times now, and on a variety of terrain. If I had to do it all over I think I would have gone for the heavier adjustable ones. Whilst the length is right for me by the book, I think that I would prefer them to be somewhat shorter.