Have you ever gone to do a workout not really sure you were up to the task? Maybe had a plan which would push you well past your comfort zone or any limits you had passed previously? I did on Saturday.
One of my favorite places to run is a state park about 20 miles from my house called Sleepy Hollow state park. They have this trail that weaves and winds all around the outer edges of the park and is approximately 12 miles long if you go all the way around. I have always enjoyed running different parts of this trail but had never even comprehended the thought of doing the entire loop, until Saturday. Once I set out to train for Steelhead one idea I liked the thought of was building up to run the entire trail at Sleepy Hollow as part of a regular long training run. Saturday I had a free day, the weather was great and I thought why not see how far I can go.
The plan was simple. Set the countdown time on my watch at 10 minutes and run until it goes off. Then walk anywhere from 2-10 minutes (reset the timer if needed) and repeat. Go until I feel like I've gone far enough then turn around and head back or do the whole thing which ever comes first. 30 minutes into the run I was really questioning my sanity. It was a gorgeous spring day here in mid Michigan, mid 40's and sunny as can be. I never thought about the inch of snow we had 2 days earlier and that maybe just possibly the trail would be a slippery, muddy, water filled mess. 30 minutes of slipping and sliding and trying to avoid the large puddles that more closely resembled small ponds and I was tired, sore and my feet were soaked to the bone. I tried to decide whether to turn back or press on. I decided it had to get better at some point or I might at least go numb, so I pressed on. At the 1 hour mark I hit a major stretch of trail that was on the high ground and was awesome to run on. I continued on forgetting how awful the trail had been just yards back. At the 1 hour and 20 minute mark I was back in the slop again and started to seriously question my sanity. At this point I realized I was over half way around and there was pretty much no turning back now. I could, but then I would have to re-traverse all the crappy trail I had been down to this point so I might as well at least finish on, as of yet, unseen crappy trail. Besides it was now closer to continue than turn around.
It was at this point that I began playing the "just make it to some unknown point in the distance" game and I'll reward myself with some walking, or if the trail comes close to the road I'll just hop on there and run that back to the car. I learned, yet again, that I lie to myself just to keep going. Every time I'd get to that point or close to the road, I come up with some even better reason why I should keep going. My walk to run ratio started changing as well. I found I only needed to a couple of minutes of walking to consistently recharge for the next 10 minute run. I kind of got into a rhythm and the great outdoors was flying by. Until about the last mile. That's where I started to notice chafing in places I had never wanted to imagine and the bottoms of my feet were cramping. Not up under the arch but under my HEEL! What the heck, I've never felt THAT before. My legs began to feel like lead weights with every step and I am quite positive my walking was faster than my running at this point. But, like the determined zombie I was, I kept pushing on.
Seeing that end point right where I started was a pretty happy moment for me. I had completed nearly a half marathon of epic proportions, at least in my mind it was anyways. I had run, slid, slogged, walked, fallen, skated, hopped, tight-roped, jumped, slipped and barreled up and down hills, across ridge-lines, through valleys, in fields and through forests all for the fun of it. I challenged myself and found I grew. 2 hours 21 minutes, that is what it took. I had often thought it would be fun to pack a lunch and do the entire trail in a day. I never thought I'd do it in 2 hours and 21 minutes.
Now I can't wait for the next opportunity I get to go try it again. I hope it dries up a bit before then but now I have a personal best time to beat. Oh, and as a side note. Sunday I was a little sore, as I expected, and today I feel much better. Life is good when you can push yourself beyond your limits and don't have to pay with too much pain.
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