This was the subject to an email I received from my running partner/best friend about our 16 miler on 2/27/2011. I laughed but was very nervous! I knew we were doing a trail run and I knew it was going to be tough but, I was afraid of just how tough it was really going to be.
Here is the first part of the email:
“Alright woman consider yourself warned…
Tomorrow we are going to pick up ribbons for the Annadel Half and get you some trail/hill conditioning! The good news, it ought to be beautiful. The bad news…4.5 miles of that beautiful is essentially going to be uphill.”
Did I just read that right!?! 4.5 miles is essentially uphill!!! Eek. Really? Seriously? Oh boy…
Never mind that it would be beautiful. Never mind that the we would possibly see deer on our run. Never mind that it would be a tad warmer than the previous Sunday run. It’s 4.5 miles of an uphill battle!!! If I haven’t expressed it enough then here you go; I HATE HILLS! I know they are good for me so really they are my frenemies. But! I HATE THEM!!! *HELP*
It was another cold Sunday morning. Not as cold at the previous Sunday run, but 31 degrees is still cold; especially when you have been sitting in a nicely heated car while waiting for you best friend to arrive.
She arrived on time as usual *I’m always early for fear of being late*. We greeted and hugged before we got ‘gross’; her words not mine, and we were off!
She wasn’t kidding! The first part was uphill and then it evened out to be a slow but steady incline. *I’m not sure what I dislike most, a slow steady incline or a short steep hill*. I was a bit winded at first but soon I got my breathing down to a nice rhythm. This is something I learned very early on when I ran track and field. I still focus on my breathing to this day and it’s more important now that I’m running long distances.
After a while I’m thinking, ‘this isn’t bad! I got this!’ Well…that didn’t last long when we got to the really tough part. I can’t remember the name of the trail…I think it was called Cobble Stone. Lots and lots of rocks! And…lots and lots of uphill. This was the “All Kinds of Ugly” my best friend was talking about. She wasn’t kidding. I wanted to stop right there and sit down like a kid crossing her arms refusing to eat her broccoli. This was the toughest mental challenge I have had to date. I don’t mind rocks. I don’t mind hiking and climbing. I do mind the uphill battle.
The uphill battle wasn’t just physical like I said it was mentally challenging. I have a really hard time keeping myself full of positive thought. I really had to dig deep for a few. This time I kept telling myself, “you can do this”, “you have this” , “keep going you’re doing it”. Then I watched as my best friend so effortlessly jogged up this trail with a big smile on her face while she yelled encouraging thoughts and I thought she was just beautiful. I loved it!
I ended up having to walk. She told me it was okay because my walking was actually faster than my jogging at that point. When she would get a head of me a bit and I started to ‘argue’ with myself I dug even deeper; I thought of my brother SFC John K. He is on his 9th tour to Iraq. He had to go through some pretty tough training to get to where he is. If he can go through all of what he has been through I can surely keep going. I had to!
My best friend and I had such a great time once that trail ended. I was so happy to be done with it and just a little part of me said, “maybe I’ll do that one again”. For the mean time though, I was happy to finally start descending. I liked this so much more. We saw a beautiful morning, two deer, splashed through mud puddles, soaked our feet in the ice-cold streams, picked up the pink ribbons, and just had a grand old-time. It really was a great morning. What a great way to start the day too.
I always feel better after a long run. I always feel free while I’m running even with the challenges I face. Whether that be a challenging course, a metal argument, or both.
We finished our run and hugged each other, even after being ‘gross’. I took my muddy socks and shoes off and quickly got into the car because someone was impatiently waiting to take my space. Like they couldn’t park further away and walk! Ha..
I have a passion for running and a drive to test just how far I can push myself. I'm on a journey to qualify for Boston. As fun as trails are I'm a road racer. I've always trained on road or track; it feels like home to me.
My Life As A Runner... 
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