so yesterday was national running day. i was reminded of this every few minutes from runner's world, the another mother runner blog, all the sporting good stores, and endless facebook posts from kara goucher, ryan hall, etc. i would kill myself if i ignored all the hype.
unfortunately for me, june 1st in texas is miserable. and it's not even as bad as it'll get in the next 3 months. but walking out to my car after work was a very unpleasant surprise. i'm pretty sure my leather seats in my car melted through my jeans to burn my skin. but i'd already agreed to go trail running while alex and his cousin mountain biked. stupid decision.
i got home and changed into my gear. i realized that a hydration pack would probably come in handy since there aren't any water faucets on this run. i made a super quick trip by sports authority and made a decision from the 2 choices they had. i pulled and pulled and pulled on the straps to get the belt as tight as possible so it wouldn't bounce around as much. i felt good. i was dreading the run but excited about my belt (amazing how new gear can make you want to do something you didn't want to do).
we got to the park and i started off to the trail head. i ran about 10 feet before my water bottle bounced out. i couldn't do 7 more miles like that, so i turned back to the car and threw the belt in the back. instead i decided to just carry the water bottle cause i'd definitely need it. turns out it wasn't too bad to carry and was as essential to the run as i thought it'd be.
my original goal for the run was to get as far as i did last time (which wasn't very far) without having to walk. the heat killed me last time and it was about 20 degrees warmer this time. i took off. slowly. but i was doing okay. i knew how to watch for bikers and still see the roots. i got to my last quitting spot and still felt okay. i'd made it through the first batch of woods without falling. i got through the field that had flowers and weeds up to my waist with a trench wide enough for one foot without crying. i felt pretty good about things so far. i passed alex about 3 miles or so in, they'd already gone 4. so i'd made better time than the last run, but i was concerned about the last 4 miles. they told me they'd wait and i promised to go as fast as i could.
the rest of the trail seemed a little easier. i'm not sure how much was just easier terrain and how much was me just getting used to running there. but overall i felt good. i'd already passed my goal of beating my last distance. and then i made it to meet alex. at 4 miles i kept reminding myself it was just a 5k left. by the time i hit 5 miles, i knew i would just have to press on. 5.5 meant a quick run down to the end of my "trail" at home. the last mile seemed to keep going and going. and then i looked up and saw alex peeking his head over the field. he was a little concerned that i'd twisted an ankle in the middle of nowhere, but he only had to go about 20 feet to see me trucking along. and they'd only finished about 15 minutes before me, so that was awesome. i waited 45 for them on monday, so 15's nothing.
so yeah, i did it. and didn't die. i think i had a good time, too. it's a weird thing for me. i wasn't real tired at the end, though my feet were getting a little sore just from being on them so long. i had a sense of dread going into a field in the same way i did going into the woods. but i liked that i was doing it. and i liked that i didn't fall (or even really trip). i hated that at points i was basically walking up the hills and around the roots. but at this point i just feel like that's something that will improve with practice and is just part of the gig. and i loved that i woke up without a bit of soreness. yes, i only went at like a 15 minute pace, but it's only my 2nd time trying it. could be worse.
no, i probably won't be entering a trail race anytime soon. or ever (i can't even wrap my head around what a nightmare it'd be to run with a crowd of people through that terrain). but the ocassional trail run could be nice. plus i got to celebrate national running day feeling strong and like a real runner. perfect day to welcome in june.
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