I set out on my Birthday run with much doubt on how I would feel or if I would finish. I intentionally did not drink the night before after last year’s nauseating experience. I was apprehensive of my lack training and nursing over-use injuries from running the Stonecat Marathon. So to say the least I felt like a ticking time bomb. But I wanted to show I could still run, that another hash mark on my wall didn’t mean I was slowing down. So I set out this morning with Josh, my running idle from the very start, and Leah(riding a bike… she to is battling overuse injuries).
We finished the first 5.2 miles in good spirits. I felt better than I thought I would, little aches and pains but nothing big. We ran by my favorite marsh and there was even a flock of geese and ducks there to see as we ran by.
Leah ducked out for the second stretch of 9 miles as it involved a lot of snowy trails, not the easiest thing to ride a bike on. Within the first mile I was dreading this loop because of the added challenge of walking up the snowy hilly trails. With each step your feet would slip just a little, enough to make it more tiresome then it should be. Thankfully that seemed to only get easier as the loop went on and the snow softened. But other challenges came up. I found that I have come to dread the road section threw the development that connects the two trail sections. My inner quad muscles and groin began to tire and become sore. The arches of my feet began to ache and I had some grit rubbing the side of my left foot. My knees were aching while running the down hills now to. But I just gritted my teeth and kept moving forward, all and all it wasn’t that bad…
We got back to the house and mentally I was ready to head out for the last lap. Leah was back to join use again for the last 4.3 miles. I ‘pulled a Nate’ and decided to change socks and shoes. Meh my feet couldn’t feel any worse so why not try. It turned out to work out just fine. My heels were a bit tight to start but loosened up after a mile or so. I was more tired than anything and had to take walk breaks on the flats since there were hardly any hills on this section to take a walk break on. I ended the run feeling tired but yet strong and very satisfied.
I feel eager to dive into training again. Not limited to just running but cross training too. Like P90X, biking, snowshoeing, and general strength training. Not mention just trying to eat healthy on a regular basis.
I have four big runs on my horizon already for the start of next year. One is Josh’s B-day run. It will be a 50k this year and it would be nice to do the whole run with him this year. The past years I have only done parts of it. Yet every year he has done my whole B-day run with me. So I owe it to him :- )
Next is the Shamrock Marathon in VA Beach. It will be my first road marathon. I want to be trained enough to enjoy it and do it in a reasonable time. No not Boston time! Like 11-12 minute mile time, I would love faster, but one step at a time here!
After that is the Wapack Trail Race. It’s a killer of a 21 mile race for me. It has sucked every bit of me out the last two times I have done it. I curse the climbs and dread them. But yet I want to go back and try to better my time yet again.
Then there is Pineland Farms. Every year that I have run, I have done the 25k. I have been happy with that and scoffed at the idea of doing the 50K. I hate loops and hate the heat in the fields there. But the tides have changed and I plan on doing the 50K this year. The reasoning behind it is sound. If I ever plan on finishing the VT50, I have to get a good running base under me. Which means getting a handle on finishing 50k’s strongly and maintaining and building from that base. So yes you will see me eat my words and toe the line at the Pineland Farms 50K this year… by eating those words it will make the beer at the end so much sweeter though ;- )
So all in all cheers to turning another year older:- )
