Scenes From The Running Trail

The view of a trail needing conquered (well, at least 7 miles of it, this time anyway).

   Last week was not a great week in running for Mark and I. The difference between last week and every other week in running was that we started level 3 of Ripped in 30. AND IT IS HARD. Jillian pounds your legs, specifically your calves. And while eventually this will be really great for our running, sore calves+running= ouch! OUCH! OUCH! I was forced to walk during our shorter weekday runs because of the searing pain. But surely Saturday's run would be better because we would have Friday off from both Jillian AND running, allowing our legs a much needed rest. Right?

Addison getting strapped in for a great run in her new jogging stroller.

 Dressed for success with friends in tow.

   And it was a better run, sort of. The first half is mostly on an incline, some parts steeper than others. And already sore legs+incline= more ouch! By the time I met Mark coming near the half way mark, I was seriously thinking about asking him to go get the car and come get me because I couldn't imagine making the 3.5 mile journey back. And because I had walked probably a half a mile already, I knew this wasn't going to be a pretty running time. I started wishing I had gone to support Josh in his half marathon instead of trying to run today. But, I knew I would be mad at myself if I didn't try, so I kept going. The return trip is, of course, downhill, so I decided to run for just a song then I would walk for a song all the way back. But because it was downhill, my legs were doing much better. Sure, they were still tired, but they weren't screaming with pain anymore. So At the end of the first song, I decided to make it to the next road. Then when I made it there, I decided to shoot for the next road. Somewhere in that section I crossed paths with a woman who said "Yay! Running! Keep it up!" So I did.
   Minus a small amount of walking to get a drink (not even going to try to learn to run and drink. It has always been a disaster for me), I ran the whole way back. I ran even when my side started hurting with just over a half a mile to go. I made it back to the finish in 1 hr. 38 min., just 8 minutes over my target time. And that was with all that walking in the first half! I must have been hauling on the way back.
  You know what makes running great. The other runners. I get encouragement to keep going with every smile, nod, good morning, or even, in this case, the words of one very inspired runner. And when running got easier, I was able to think about things and I had so many ah ha! moments, I couldn't count them all. Running teaches you so much about yourself you never could learn any other way. I can't wait to go again.

Running, the best drug ever.