Thursday, October 7, 2010

Trail Running

Trail running is a blast!
Sometimes you run all the way and sometimes you fall!



I've been running up at Annadel State Park a couple times a week lately. It's gorgeous up there. I can't believe this beautiful place is so close to my home and yet I only experienced it for the first time less than a year ago. It's so incredible running past deer, cyotes, wild turkeys, jack rabbits... I even saw a baby mountain lion along my path. (Not anxious to see another anytime soon).

I have lately introduced a few running friends to this beautiful place and it's so much fun waking up early on Saturday mornings and running with them up in the hills by 7 am.

It's getting darker in the evenings and our evening runs after work are limited.

My sister Kelly and I ran last week and the sun went down before we got off the hill. Squinting into the blackness, I slipped and fell backwards against the steep hill and within thirty seconds, i had a hematoma the size of a ping-pong ball.

I went to the doctor a couple days later to make sure it wasn't fractured because someone suggested it looked like a fractured elbow. But luckily for me, the doctor said it was just a bad bruise.

So here it is Thursday night and my half-marathon race is on Sunday morning.

I have really been feeling nervous about it this past month.

Fumbling around with all these fidgety thoughts: "I'm gonna be so slow..." and "why didn't I run more these last couple of months!?!?"

But tonight my thoughts have turned the tide. And now I'm feeling happy thoughts of excitement! And I'm just gonna run and not really worry what happens. I'm just gonna get out there and have a blast! Because, truly, that is why I started to run in the first place.

To have fun!


Early Sunday morning, I will awake and lather the few trouble toes on my left foot in vaseline, put on my latest favorite running shirt and eat my banana and peanut butter toast (or two) and run like the runner I see myself in my dreams.


I'm thinking only positive thoughts for now on out.

"I can do it! I am going to run strong. I am going to have a great race day!"


Oh, thank heavens for my imagination. My optimism. And the way I love to play pretend.

It truly does ...and will... carry me onto victory.

3 comments:

Amber said...

You'll do great! It's good to reflect upon your emotions and recognize your worriedness as simply the regular jittery feelings that are accustomed to feel before race time! HAVE A GREAT TIME! And good news to hear your elbow isn't fractured!

Dan Guerra said...

You'll be awesome Shawn! Once you get out there and start running...and yeah Annandel sounds pretty magical, right in your own back yard...I'll be rootin' for ya on Sunday!

Christine said...

OUCH!!! I've run a few times in the dusk and dawn on sidewalks and paved roads and found it not the safest thing in the world to do... trail running in that lighting is even more frightful!

Hope your race today is FABULOUS!