Post-Hurricane Run

The hurricane blew through yesterday and last night.  Honestly, it wasn't as big of a deal here in DC as I expected.  We never lost power (although it did flicker a lot and I thought we'd lose it), and had no damage to our condo.  I feel badly for folks that got it worse than we did.  One of hubby's coworkers had a tree fall on his house and it ripped off half his roof - yikes!

One nice thing was that I didn't have to work yesterday or today.  Hubby even had most of the last two days off, although spent a good amount of time on the phone and went in to the office for a few hours each day.  It was fun having him home - we did a puzzle and got some projects done around the house.  Back to the grind tomorrow...

I went for a run today, and it was the first one that I really didn't think I'd complete.  I had awful shin splits - something I haven't dealt with for years and years.  It got so painful that I could barely keep going and I was almost in tears (and about to call Hubby to come pick me up).  I made it through, although I'm still debating whether that was the right choice or not.  I've got ice on my shins now and am hoping that helps.

Other than the pain, it was a cool run.  It was like I was alone in the world.  I didn't see another living soul (unless you count a squirrel and a heron).  It was still raining (and it was a COLD) rain.  The sidewalks were littered with leaves - to the point that at times, I couldn't tell where the sidewalk began and ended.  There were small sticks and limbs down everywhere, and I splashed through my fair share of puddles.  

All in all, I survived another day and had a cool experience doing so.

Jello

Note to self:  Don't go on two hard runs two days in a row.  Man, my legs are like jello.  It was fun, though, and even better, I finished.  Barely, but still a finish!

Yesterday I ran on a paved path around a lake in a nearby neighborhood.  Today I went back to the park I referenced in last Monday's post.  Here's a picture:  

Right now I'm trying to work through the mental block of feeling silly for being excited over small accomplishments.  For instance, earlier this week, my training program increased to 3 minute running intervals (up from 1.5 minute intervals).  I was pretty proud of myself for making it through the first interval.  Until I realized how pathetic it was to be excited about being able to run for three minutes.  Am I that out of shape that THAT is an accomplishment?  Is it really an accomplishment considering that I run so slowly that Jason can keep up with me at a fast walk?

But hey, it's more than I could do three weeks ago, right?  Right.  It's better than being too scared to try, right?  Right.  It's better than being lazy, right?  Uhhhhh.... right.... I suppose. :)

I ran today.

Well, I ran today.  I'm not really inspired to say much more than that...

This weekend, I'm looking forward (am I crazy?) to going back to my adventure described in my last post to give it another try - maybe from the opposite direction this time.  

I should have known...

A few days ago, hubby and I were driving and passed a regional park near us.  I said, "I should go run there sometime."  Hubby said, "Yeah, you'd like it."  I should have known.

I asked, "Are there a lot of hills?"  Hubby answered, "Not really - a few but they are pretty minor."  I should have known.

I even went so far as to say, "Great.  Speaking of hills, I decided that this time [my second time training for a 5K] I'm not going to avoid hills in my training.  I figure I need to train on some hills so that I'm ready for anything in a 5K."  I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.  

I got my hills, that's for sure.

The 3.5 mile loop was absolutely beautiful.  I ran through the woods in the late afternoon/early evening setting sun, and the light filtered in, making the already colorful trees glow with yellows, oranges, and red.  I even saw some deer.  

But...

It was NOT flat.  There were hills.  Lots of them.  And they were steep.  And my training app (which alternates between telling me to walk and run) told me to RUN each time I was at the bottom of a huge hill.  Or at the top of a really steep hill strewn with rocks and littered with tree roots sticking out at all angles (I quickly discovered that this was equally as difficult).

Did I mention that I also had to ford three creeks?  You know - running through water because the trail stopped at the creek and continued on the other side.  And there were no bridges.  Or rocks on which to teeter as I worked my way across.  Which - of course - left my poor feet soaking wet and my still-new-enough-to-look-nice shoes a muddy mess.

All that said, though, it was completely exhilarating.  Despite the hills, the running itself wasn't that hard.  Sure, I was panting and barely breathing at points.  But my mind was so focused on not wiping out - or getting run over by a mountain biker - that I didn't really notice.  I kept thinking about my friend Rebecca, who is really into trail running.  I understand now why she's totally hooked on it.  And I understand why they make shoes specifically for trail running.

10/20

I ran on 10/20.  Just for the record. :)

New Beginnings

As promised in my last post, I went for a run today.  It's a beautiful fall day here in MD and I decided to go out along the C&O canal - my favorite weekend spot.  

It was... errrrrr... rough.  By the time I finished, I was doing alright.  But I'll tell you - those first few running intervals were awful.  Not necessarily physically hard - just horribly-not-fun-at-all.  I felt like a total clutz, couldn't get into a rhythm, and wanted to crawl into a hole.  I pushed through it, though, and finished, and am glad I did it - I think.

I guess that's what it's like getting back into things, eh?  Tough to get started, tough and awkward for a bit in the beginning, but eventually starts to get back to normal.  Let's hope so, at least, because I've got a lot of that coming up in the next few weeks!

Confession

Confession:  The last time I went running was 9/23.  I got really sick right after that.  Then I had the week from hell.  Then I was on vacation.  Truthfully, I planned to get back on track during vacation.  Then I got relaxed (read: lazy).

Now, I'm back home and planning to get back on track by going for a run tomorrow.  Really.  I promise.  (Seriously - someone ask me tomorrow evening if I got it done.)


PS:  I rode a Harley today.  It was the most terrifying and thrilling experience of my life.  I'm hooked. :)