I'm coming to the same conclusion as you 2 guys. We have a couple hundred acre woods near my house that has a trail running around the perimeter. It's 2.1 miles around the loop but only has 200 feet of relief. I do alot of weighted pack hiking over there in preseason. I do 2 loops and try to keep it at 18-19 min/mile with 25-30 lb pack. It is also a good place to trail run.
My normal deal is to lift heavy Jan - April 2 days/wk, aerobic fitness 3 days/ week with one of them on the weekend a long session (2-4 hrs). Many times the long day turns out to be 8-10 hrs and covers 10-20 miles with my standard 22 lb daypack in the Smokys. My other 2 days this time of year are jogging, mainly because I can do it around the house, right after work, and still not run in the dark.
Starting in May I switch to endurance lifting and incorporating HICT and Eustress type lifting twice/week and start serious rucking. I have a mountain road not far from the house that I climb 1/week. It's 1100 feet in 1.5 miles. By season I'll be schlepping 50 lbs up/back. I usually run 1 day during the week and keep my LSD on the weekend. It works well for me in my advanced age (58)
My biggest issue this year is calf cramps. After about 2-3 miles, my calves start to cramp. It's not dehydration, it's not stretching/warmup, its not insoles - I've come to the conclusion it's the effects of running on pavement. I've substituted rucking and bike riding for running so far this spring. I'd hate to get to October and figure out that wasn't a good move......
