stinger fast

Fastest pace on this trail ever! Progress.. sweet progress.. I purposely ran this one fast. I didn't push too hard, but my goal was to beat my previous fastest pace on this trail route. I left my phone in the car on purpose and only carried my key in shorts pocket and Garmin 310XT in my hand (since my dog at the wrist band). I was stung by some flying insect on my lower right calf during the first mile but kept going. I kept my eye on the trail and the "virtual partner" rather than the pace and kept seeing the "time ahead" increasing until that last steep uphill. I walked up it and noted that I lost 40 seconds, but gained 20 of it back before the cut-off to return to car. I ran two loops and was amazed at overall pace (75 seconds/mile faster than my previous best), especially since I didn't think I was pushing too hard. Woohoo!

impromptu 5K

Spontaneity ROCKS! My original plan was for a long run this morning, but last night Lisa called and asked if I would run the Duluth Fall Festival 5K with her. I'd much rather run with a friend than do a long run alone, so it didn't take much to twist my arm. She hasn't been running as much as I have so we went at her pace. I had so much fun running with her!

Lisa's daughter and her friend (who both run cross country) came in 2nd and 3rd in their age group! We all left happy and plotting out our next adventure. Another 5K? Adventure Racing? Triathlon? The sky's the limit..

limbo contest?

So who wants to join me in a limbo contest on the Yellow River Park trail? The storms of last night left two downed trees along the paths. Thankfully a mountain biker coming in the opposite direction warned me as we passed or I might have slammed right into it since it was just after a turn. I love how the trail looks different every time that I run it! Fun 5 miles this morning!

Coosa Trail

I need a new goal.. I'm tired of training for marathons.. I love trail running and started contemplating my first Ultra. I don't necessarily want to run the ultra distance, but I learned about a nearby 30K/50K trail race that will be two weeks after my marathon and I thought that if I treated my marathon as a "training run" instead of a race, that maybe I could do a 50K two weeks later. The Duncan Ridge Trail 50K/30K held a "training run" today. My hair colorist's boyfriend is in the band Skid Row; I went to their concert last night and stayed out way too late.. Had a great time, but just couldn't get up 3 hours later to drive to Vogel State Park for the training run start. Yet I was determined to check out the trail before registering for the race, so I drove up and ran a section of the trail alone. OMG! There is no way I will be able to run this 50K two months from now. This was a hike, not a run, and the first few miles of the race are nowhere near as steep as later sections of the race. Glad I tested it out before registering! Am still contemplating registering for the 30K for the adventure, but the 50K is totally out of my current ability range.

Tallulah Falls

I've driven past Tallulah Gorge State Park almost monthly this year when I travel to/from one of my work projects. I've kept saying that one day I will stop here and go for a run.. I'm usually traveling with co-workers and haven't had a chance, but today I was driving back to Atlanta alone. I stopped at the park and ran the North Rim Trail in my brand new Brooks Cascadia 6 trail shoes (that I LOVE). The North Rim Trail was more of a walking path for visitors than a real trail for runners/hikers, so I was a little disappointed, but enjoyed the view. Will have to check out the High Bluff Trail next time. And since I name all of my running shoes, my new Cascadia trail shoes are now named "Tallulah".

darn distractions = OUCH

I worked from home today and it was gorgeous weather (70s and sunny instead of 90s) so I planned to run 8 miles on the Yellow River Trail during my lunch break. I was startled by two deer running across the path within the first quarter mile and was amazed at their beauty. I was in awe of how the trail looks so different every time I run here. It looked even more different than usual after the storms of a few days ago. I was daydreaming and not paying close enough attention to the trail. And then it happened.. I tripped over a rock. Yes.. a rock.. on the same path that I've managed to not trip over a few dozen times. I tripped on Monday and fell in the soft sand and only had a teeny scrape to show for it. Not so lucky today.. I banged my knee and skinned my shin pretty badly. On the bright side, it happened at a scenic part of the trail and I sat for a minute, watching and listening to the river water flow over the rocks beside the trail. I was grateful that my waterbottle protected my left hand from injury and my Garmin that I carry (because my dog ate the watch strap) protected my right hand from scrapes. I then decided to be tough and stick to the plan. But my knee HURT! Well, it's going to hurt whether you walk or sit or run so.. keep running! But the pain increased and my pace slowed significantly and realized that I may be doing more harm than good so I decided to cut it short since this is just a training run and not an actual race. oh well.. later in the day my knee is swollen and I can barely bend it. I hope I get a cool scar! this sucks.. but it was an incredible run that I will cherish rather than regret. And a great excuse to wear a short skirt to the office tomorrow :)