Trail Running Sunday

I decided to try my luck at another trail run today and figured I'd hit the local Audubon Sanctuary as both hunting and ATV's are illegal there so not only would it be a sanctuary for wild life but for moi as well! I would dress warmly as it was in the lower thirties when I started off and I would not only have my ankle in its wrap, but I'd tape it as well because I finally wanted to test it to see how I would do going over 6 miles as I am yearning for my longer runs again.
I''d take it slow and continue to practice the common sense I have been blessed enough to inherit the past month or so (minus last week when I continued to run after falling in the brook), and saw this sign and took it to heart and decided not to play a game of Russian Roulette.So I'd cautiously hike this portion of the trail because I didn't want to suffer a matching bruise on my leg from last week that still has yet to go away.The air would be crisp and all around me were birds darting to and fro in search for breakfast as I huffed and puffed my way along the trail. I'd decide to turn off the Gamin and get out of a layer as I was starting to get warm and I'd see this pair of Mallards below.
Soon enough I'd be out of the woods and headed to the Powerline Trail with reservations due to the rocks powerlines are known for and rocks are not something I really need right now with my persistent ankle tendinitis that I've somehow managed to control lately, but one wrong ankle turn on a rock could set me back to where I was which was not running at all so proceeded with caution. What you see below is a picture of the trail which is a series of rolling hills and some steep in spots. There are many times when I am doing my long runs with hills, that I try and make it all the way and then have to resort to hiking and I'm happy to report that today I would be able to run the entire thing (minus a stop for a REALLY COOL BIRD and that's just a given as I needed to look at it and get a picture of course!). I am guessing the reason why I was able to run it is because I didn't focus at all on my pace today but rather my distance which would get to 7.10 miles pain free. Yipee!! Finally.

It looks as if all of the stretching, cross training, resting and weight lifting paid off in the end and I'm hoping my lucky streak will continue.

With that said, I did get in some pre-dawn road runs this week which I am starting to enjoy with my Ipod and Vibrams. I also did some cross training including my usual elliptical and cycling to keep my endurance capacity high while cutting back on the running until the ankle is completely pain free so need one rest day in between running whenever I can. I honestly think the things that's worked the most though are the weights. I wish my running results would happen as quickly as the weights as it's amazing how much stronger I've gotten in the past 4 weeks or so. So much so that one of the guys at the gym I go to started chatting with me and I told him I was a trail runner but always seem to get injured. He looked at me and told me I was in the wrong sport as I was meant to be a bodybuilder considering I look the way I do and only going to the gym once or twice a week. Now most would take that as a compliment, and I appreciated it, but it's so frustrating due to the fact that I think he may be onto something and all of the work I do on the trails are for nothing and I may never be a gifted runner, but I guess I'm okay with that for the time being and will be happy with the fact that I can run at all.

Take care all.

A Week of Firsts for me

It's amazing how much can happen in less than a week in ones training when you stop to think about it. Take this past week for example when I posted the video on my blog of the snowshoe race. I would look at it one more time and watch Jim Johnson whip across the finish line immediately followed by a close number two, three, four, etc and it would be right then and there that a realization would come to mind and that would be how different my arm swing is compared to all of theirs. Hmmmmmmm...I'd think. From what I have read, you want your arms to be a little higher than that I thought. Also shouldn't the arms be closer to the sides? I'd sit there for a moment and watch it again and forget about it until the next morning as I went out for my pre dawn run.

The air was gorgeous as we had those 60 degree days as I made my way outside in shorts and a t-shirt as Eminem got me warmed up with the usual Sing for the Moment. I time my pace perfectly with the song and by the time it's about half way done I start to pick up the pace and it is at this point I remember the arm swing from the night before and I start doing it. It would take less than a mile for me to realize that the arm swing was doing more than I would have thought as my legs felt light as a feather and my pace felt a lot quicker than it ever had so I flew through Till I Collapse, Without Me and all of the other songs on my Ipod until I finally made it home. The Garmin would be shut off and I'd stretch and it would be then that I'd look at it for the first time. Holy Crap I'd say out loud. I'd blink my eyes and look at it again as surely it was wrong but low and behold it was in fact correct. For the first time ever, I would finally get myself below a 10 minute mile pace and was elated to see the 9:58 Woot, finally! Funny in how I always had that in me, but wouldn't know it until watching that video and it really is amazing how much better one can do in their running if all of the parts of the body are in sync with one another.

Anyhow, I'd head out to the Upton State Forest on Saturday for a nice run. I'd realize I had forgotten my ankle wrap when I got there so decided on a conservative and slow 6 mile run as to not overdo it with an ankle that continues to be tender. I would run the first mile and my mind just wasn't in it. I honestly felt as if I were running in quick sand and would think about turning around and going home as that sounded more appealing at the time. At about mile 2 or so, I'd finally enjoy the run and would start really focusing on the arm swing. I'd be so in the groove of things that I'd forget all about the Garmin until my beep at mile 5 and I'd glance at it quickly and then literally stop it and stop running as I couldn't believe the number which was 5.04 miles at 58:00 which would be the first time ever I'd get to 5 miles an hour on the trail. Woot! Swing those arms peeps as it really works and best of all the legs get a much needed rest to make running longer easier. It only took me about a year and a half to figure this out. :-p
Anyhow, I'd wake up this morning with the goal of finally starting to increase my mileage to the 8 mile range to see if my ankle would be okay with it as I miss my 11 mile runs and really want to get back there, but need to do so injury free. On my way to the trails I would see this small kettle of Turkey Vultures and pull over for a photo. I should have taken this as a sign but thought nothing of it as I started my run with legs still fresh from yesterday and a much better mood and a mood made for running.
I'd start swearing to myself during the first mile as I always seem to forget the first mile is a small hill that is demoralizing to warm up with as it's always a shock to my system no matter how much I run it. I'd finally get to 1.1 miles and have to stop to take the picture above because it was just so darn pretty.

Pretty soon I'd make my way to some very narrow single track that I had just discovered two weeks ago and I was whipping through it until the leaves got so bad I could no longer find the trail and would run on what I thought was the trail only to find out I was good and lost and in the middle of the woods with no trail in site. I'd stop the Garmin for a moment and try and get a grasp of my surroundings and then start a half hearted jog through thick leaves and trees hoping the trail would be just around the corner.
I'd come to this and realize I had never seen it before because as I always remember where the hunting perches are, especially with hunting season now officially in full swing.
I'd be very annoyed at this point due to my pace which was over 12 minute miles so I decided to shut off the Garmin and just get my wits back. I'd also take out my water and my camera for some photos of some really cool stuff that was in the immediate area.
Sigh, fall is just so beautiful, especially on a day as lovely as today with the warm sun and the Black-capped Chickadees and Golden-crowned Kinglets nearby keeping me company.

Anyhow, I'd finally find my way to the path and get my groove going when I could suddenly hear the unmistakable sound of some ATV's nearby and I'd be ticked as ATV's are not allowed on this trail and I come here solely for that as I can't stand those things. I'd pull off to the side to let them pass and they'd be in full camouflage gear as they drove on past. Weird I'd think, what the hell are they doing here and dressed like that....Grrrrrr.....I hope they are not going on the same trails as I I'd think.

It wouldn't' take me long to see that they did in fact chose the same trail as I because I could hear them and I was pissed as it's a nice little narrow trail and there they were on their honkin 4 wheelers ruining it for the hikers, mountain bikers and runners. I would continue to run and could no longer hear them so figured they moved on much to my relief.
I would make my way along the most technical part of the trail which you can barely see in the photo above and it would be here I would bump into one of them as one was getting his gun out for hunting. I'd be too busy looking at him and the gun to watch where I was going and run on one of the rocks above that tipped to the left where I proceeded to go air born and right into the brook. All I can say is I'm very grateful for one of those rocks because I instinctively grabbed onto one as I didn't want to get the upper body wet considering I had the Garmin on my wrist as well as my pack which had my camera and Driod which would have been a disaster. I'd land right on my outer thigh where the IT band is and also slightly twist my already sore ankle in the process, but I was so pissed, I got right up and started running as the startled hunter asked is I was okay and I replied yes through grit teeth and then proceeded to swear as I made my way past him. I am now soaking wet up to my knees and my leg hurts but I am so ticked, I want to run and I want to run fast to defy him and to defy the trail. My mind of reason would start to interfere and start telling me that perhaps it was time to turn around as the leg is aching more than it should and wet feet make for blisters but I didn't care and just kept going as the frustration grew because those guys had no business hunting where they were as hunting in the state of Massachusetts is illegal on a Sunday and how dare they interfere with my running and on ATVs no less!!! The leg started aching enough for me to resign myself to the fact that an 8 mile run just wasn't going to happen today and had to settle for the 6 mile run and one with a pace I haven't had since trail running in the winter on ice. I guess it just wasn't my day that's all. :-p

So with that said, my twisted ankle actually doesn't feel that bad and the legs hurts and is bruised but I have no swelling so I am going to take it by ear to see how it feels tomorrow. I should also note that this is my first ever major spill while trail running and it could have been a lot worse than it was so I'm glad my reflexes are in good working order and while I'm ticked I fell, I have often been curious on how I would handle a spill and at least now I know. In the meantime, I am going to start thinking of trails where I can avoid idiots like this which means the more populated trails and those are the ones I like the least because I run for solitude and can't find it on the rail trails or the other trails that people go with their kids, dogs, etc. Hunting season can't end soon enough for me and it's only just begun.

Take care all.

Photo of Moi at the Finish Line and Other Scattered Ramblings

Photo courtesy of Ken (aka Run with Ken). All of the photos of this race including other runners can be found Here.

And now for the moment you have all just been anxiously awaiting for! ;-). Yes that's right people, here is little old moi making her first (and I want to stress first!) finish line crossing and Ken was nice enough to not only take the picture, but to share it with me on my Facebook page and let me use it on my blog. I've gotten comments on my FB page about how happy I looked and Ken even made a comment that stopped to make me think for a moment and that was how I looked as if I were taking a victory lap and in a way I believe I was as I finally made the decision to sign up for a race and stick with it. I had been telling myself I would do this for well over a year now, but would always put if off saying I was far too unprepared and under trained which led to more training and increasing millage and speed at the same time which would lead to injury and having to cut back on training which would make me feel yet again unprepared and yadda yadda, the viscous cycle wold continue.

This time due to an ankle injury, I had no choice but to cut back on running, do more cross training and take two rest days per week instead of one and it seemed to work as I finally decided just to run a race for the sake of completing it and who cares about the pace as it will come in time if it chooses to. So with that said, the finish line crossing was a victory lap over the negative thoughts and I'm hoping once and for all.

Anyhow, now that the race is over with, I find myself restless and not quite sure what to do with myself. I'm using this as an opportunity to figure out what I want to do for the remainder of the year and am considering finding a couple more races to do as it will give me something to train for. I am also developing a more formalized weight training program for myself in hopes to really hit muscles in my body that need strengthening for running including hamstrings, hip abductors , core, etc. I figure the end of November will be the perfect time to do that as I will start increasing calories to gain lean muscle and what better time to start than the week of Thanksgiving! And the most exciting thing are my running snow shoes I'll be getting for my birthday in a couple of weeks. I remember seeing Dan blogging about snow shoe racing last year and I was instantly captivated, but hesitant due to the fact that it looks pretty kick ass, but I feel as if I am good and ready this season to kick ass so can't wait for them to come. Let's just hope for some decent snow around here so I can train in them because from what I understand, they take a little getting used to and even if you are a seasoned trail runner, you are going to need to do some serious training before hand as not only is it taxing in the legs, but on the lungs and heart rate too as you are essentially running in snow!

For those of you interested in snowshoes for running check out Dion Snowshoes
Snowshoe Racing 101

And of course some video just so you can see how fun it looks!

Take care all.

Groton Town Forest Trail Race-October, 2010

My mind has finally stopped spinning long enough for me to do my first ever official race report from the Groton Town Forrest Trail Race yesterday where I ran the 3.4 mile version. I seriously have a little "performance anxiety here" as one of my favorite things to read on running blogs are the race reports where everyone is so detailed on their experience and everything happened so quickly yesterday, I'm not sure how much I'll remember but here goes!

Anyhow, I woke up super early despite telling myself to sleep in late due to the late 12:30 start and thought a little extra Z's would help, but it was no use as I was far too excited to get in any extra shut eye. This gave me time to just relax in the morning as I had made my snacks and laid out my clothes the night before so it was nice to not be running around like crazy which is what a typical Sunday morning is for me, so I'm starting to like the idea of having my runs later in the day. I started drinking water as soon as I got up as well as a coffee with my goal being drinking the majority of my water well before the race which would get me hydrated, but I wouldn't have to make any potty stops during the race which was one of my biggest concerns. I'd also have what will now be my pre race meal which were 2 Vans Gluten Free Waffles, 1/2 a banana, 1 tablespoon of raw almond butter and a drizzle of organic honey which I could eat straight from the bottle.

I'd leave a little earlier than I should have and eat again about 2 hours later and that would be 1/2 a peanut butter and honey sandwich on Ezekiel bread and then an hour before the race I'd have 1/4th of a sweet potato with more of the honey to keep my belly happy as I'd be running during lunch and my body is used to being fed at 12:30 and not running it's first race ever! Anyhow, enough blabbing about one of my favorite subjects (food) and now onto the race!

I would arrive a little earlier than I should have due to this being my first race, but it gave me the opportunity to really drink in all of the pre race chaos and chit chat with people including Chris and Doug. This handsome little guy above is Chris's dog Buddy. Is he not cute or what!
Pretty soon we were less than 1/2 an hour from the start so decided to utilize my official secret weapon in pre race artillery which was a decent handful of some chocolate covered espresso beans washed down with the rest of my Nuun. It was then off to the bathrooms to wait in line to do my duty before getting to the start line. The start line took on a circus like atmosphere with literally hundreds of runners and bystanders all clustered along a narrow path. Runners of all shapes and sizes were busy getting prepared for the starting gun and would be stretching, adjusting shoes, compression gear etc and off to the side were tables of water and Gatorade, a vendor selling pies and two EMTs who had a very professional look about them as they watched the scene with emergency equipment in tow. It would be at that point where I would stop momentarily ask myself what the hell I got myself into as surely no EMT's would be needed right! HA. I would decide to do some warming up and joined in with the others in some pre race running and it would be here I'd bump into Ken (aka Run with Ken-man in photo below with red head gear on) and sure enough he'd have his camera with him and be taking pictures of the runners while they ran past. Now normally Ken takes photos of runners while running the races himself and he doesn't slow down. He would finally start running along side me and show me how he does it and I would be in awe as I had never seen anything like it and was double impressed due to the quality of his photos which you can see here: Run With Ken
Anyhow, soon enough the 10 milers were off and it was time for the 3.4 milers to take their place. I would be with my friend Tom at this point as all of us anxiously awaited our turn to start running. After what seemed like forever, we finally got our "go" and off we went. Everywhere I turned there were runners as we made our way to the beginning of the forest. My mind was trying to take it all in as I started with a manageable pace but a pace a little quicker than I normally do to warm up. Tom was still nice enough to stick by my side and soon enough he passed someone and I followed suit and I would soon realize it would be easier than I thought. You see, I have a little admission to make here. Out of all the fears I had with running a race, passing and being passed was one of my biggest. The reason being is while I am a competitive person in the sense I love to compete with myself, I have a hard time competing with others when it comes to running because running to me is not cut throat, dog eat dog, but rather a harmonious occasion so I kind of thought I'd feel rude passing others. Does it make sense.....Not for most folks, but it would still be a reservation I had. Needless to say I passed with ease in areas where we could but it wasn't that easy due to a lot of single track so you had to take the opportunity to pass while you had it. After about a mile or so Tom would take off on his own to run his own race and I would be on my own. Before I continue, I would like to take this time to thank Tom for staying with me the first mile. It really helped get me into the groove of racing and was very much appreciated and something I'll never forget, thank you so much!).

Anyhow, back on topic, because the race was mostly single track, I'd stay with the same group of about 6-10 runners or so as we all made our way up and down hills and straight line paths. After a while I felt as if I were part of that mini pack if you will so they would keep me running fast, but manageable and it was a lot of fun to run with others with the same pace as yourself. I was so caught up with the race itself that I had a sort of tunnel vision going on where all I did was look straight ahead at the other runners as trees to my left and right would whiz by and the sound of heavy steps and breathing was all I could hear. I knew there had to be some birds along side, but I was so focused I never heard them. Before the race started we were told to make sure we followed the blue arrows but I would only see a couple of them and wasn't paying attention which is another bonus of running in a pack because they do the navigation for you and you just follow! ;-)
My friend Tom who was also volunteering for the event. Here he is directing traffic and as you can see there was plenty of gridlock to keep him good and busy! Thank you Tom for getting me through my first mile

After a while I would get my eyes on the runners a little further ahead of me and could see them doing some serious climbing so I knew there was going to be a pretty steep hill up above as I tried to prepare my body and my already aching lungs for the task ahead. I would take it slowly and run up the hill on tip toe followed by a equally challenging downhill which was more challenging than uphill as you have runners directly in front of you so you need to make sure your footing is steady as you run downhill because one wrong move and you'd be taking out a few runners with you and I would be dammed if I would have to carry that memory with me forever on my first race. HA. The rolling hills would become more frequent and finally runners would be power hiking some of the hills which was much to my relief and I gladly followed suit. It would be here that I would encounter my first few runners who started out too quick as they clung to a tree trunk gasping for air and probably kicking themselves for doing too much too soon. Some of the other runners would start feeling it too so I did a little more passing when I could and made my way with yet another pack and that would be two younger women who were going at a pace that was challenging and yet manageable so I decided to hang out with them for a while for company and inspiration. We would make our way to the water stop and I had seriously told myself I wouldn't be stopping there as surely with all the water I drank before hand, I wouldn't need it, but it looked oh so tempting and I had to submit to the temptation. My mind tried to comprehend grabbing the cup and running but I just couldn't do it. I would see cups a little further off all thrown in a pile and decided to walk fast to it and guzzle the water and then drop it there because I didn't want to litter further along the path. It probably took about 15 seconds from my finish time, but all was well as the other ladies did the same.

The trail continued to have the rolling uphill's and downhill's and despite my promise on not being neurotic with the Garmin I would keep checking it to see where we were. We would be making our way to a really cool downhill and the other two flew down it and I followed suit only to have a camera flash before my eyes and would be startled to see a professional photographer out there getting pictures of all the trail runners as they flew on by. I'm guessing they sell the photos to runners for keepsakes, but not sure if I'll be buying as I can only imagine how I looked at that point as we had just done a challenging uphill and I was in a little pain at that point to be totally honest with you!

Finally we would get to where we had only 1/2 mile to go as I had figured it out on my Garmin so I yelled to them only .5 to go!! One of the women picked up the pace and bolted while I stayed with the woman running the same pace as I. She called out to me that I could pass if I wanted to, but didn't as I would have felt rude and was afraid to make a sprint for the last 1/2 mile as I didn't want to pay for it further along the way. I would finally hear cheering and know the finish was near and my legs just started going. I passed the woman as my pace increased and my heart rate sky rocketed. I'd finally get to the gravel road and I'd know there were no more tree roots to mess up my sore ankle and off I went and the only thing I saw was the finish line. People were to my left and right cheering me on and there would be Ken again with camera in tow telling me I only had another mile to go which made me laugh as another mile would have killed me at that point. Finally my first race was over with and I was elated and happy to be part of such an awesome event.

Sigh, what a fabulous event and I had a wonderful time. Right after I was done I wondered why I hadn't done it earlier as all of the worrying I did would be for nothing as the biggest worry I had was being the last one to finish the race. I had no problem coming in 3rd to last, or 2nd to last, but coming in last was my biggest fear which is silly but common from what I hear. It's funny how the worrying is always worse than the experience itself as I'm convinced if people didn't worry about things so much, they'd be a lot happier and do many of the things they have stowed away as dreams and goals but never get around to doing them out of fear and worry of the unknown. Most often the unknown isn't nearly as bad as first thought and today would yet again be proof of that. The only personal goal I had was to complete the race, but did make a mental side note to do so in 45 minutes or less and was very happy with the 0:39:33. And the best part of this being my first race is that I have my very first PR (personal record), HA!

And lastly, a dedication to a man who was like a father to me after my own died who passed on himself earlier last week after a long, terminal illness. This is for you Anthony, you will be very much missed but forever in my heart.

Take care all.

Almost Show Time!

Or make that race time. In less that 24 hours, I will be done with my first race which may not sound like much considering it's only a 5k but it's been something I've been procrastinating on for quite some time for a number of reasons. The first one is one I am continuing to struggle with which is the whole purpose of my running and what it means to me. When I run I do so to slow down life for a while and while my legs work hard, the earth stands still momentarily and I am in my element. Racing a 5k is supposed to be running as fast as you can and not smelling the roses if you will and I am one who loves to smell the roses.

With that said, I think I'll be okay tomorrow as for once in my life I listened to my body and have done a lot of cross training with only one run this week which was Tuesday and 3.4 miles. On Wednesday I did 35 minutes of stair climbing, Thursday was 3 miles on the elliptical, Friday 10 miles of cycling plus weight training and today a complete rest day which was hard due to the glorious fall weather we have and all of the Facebook posts I get from fellow trail runners saying "I could have run all day it was so nice", or "fantastic run in the woods with all of the lovely colors of fall". Grrrrrrrrr........HA

Today it was some gentle yoga and a lot of foam rolling. The compression sleeves have been on all day as well as the ankle brace so helping it will help. I would love to tell you I'm nervous but so far, not a hint of the butterflies in the stomach. I feel as if I'm prepared as I will ever be and have done a lot of soul searching the past month of so and realize beating myself up over how slow I am is what causes me to not even try so the only goal I have for tomorrow is to finish the darn thing even if it means coming in dead last. Will post an update hopefully tomorrow with pictures from the race as you know I will be bringing my camera for pictures before and after it.

Take care all.

Local Trail Running-Sunday

I was very happy to be relatively pain free on Sunday after my 6 mile trail run the day before so decided to test out my ankle on the trails again vs scheduled gym cardio which would have been an insult to the beautiful sunny day as who can do indoor cardio on a nice crisp, fall morning so off I went.
I would decide to do a 1/4 mile warm up without the Garmin and walk at a snails pace, to get the joints moving and also to see if any migrant birds decided to stop by for a pit stop before venturing south. Seriously, you have to have admiration for these birds if only for their endurance as these special little creatures fly from far north all the way to South America (or far south in the US) to escape the brutal cold that will soon be headed our way. Talk about an ultra!

Robins would be everywhere as well as Song Sparrows. The White-throated Sparrows are back from the north which was a treat to see as they were mixed in with the other northern counterparts with Dark-eyed Juncos. The picure above is of a White-throated (hence the white throat). If you are ever running in the winter and hear a beautiful bird song that goes something like "poor Sam Peabody, Peobody, Peabody, chances are it's one of these. One of my favorite songs in the winter and better than an Ipod any day.

The fall colors are even more drastic than when I was here last so it gave me the chance to practice my macro photography which is something I never tire of.
Red berries are all over the place and robins and waxwings were flocking to them.
Loved this leaf too.
But soon enough it was time to strap on the Garmin and try a run. I will be honest and say the ankle ached a little more than the day before so I started off my first mile in a light jog. I would have my Vibram Treks on which are nice when you are trying to pace yourself on trails as you can still feel most rocks and roots so you have no choice to go slow and that's exactly what I did.

After about a mile or so I would increase the pace and head from the powerlines to the woods. The wooded paths were nice and soft vs. the rocky powerline trails and my feet were happy just feeling the soft earth below as I ran through the woods as chipmunks cried out in protest and the woodland birds kept me company by chirping away as they ate their breakfast.

I would start getting to some of the rockier parts of the trail which are the parts I enjoy most and start thinking about trying to tackle a few as I have my 1st trail race on Sunday so figured it would make for good practice until I remembered a conversation I had w/ Tom the day before as I got into my car after the trail run in Groton. I was happy that I could run that trail with no ankle problems so told him I would definitely see him at the race on Sunday and he replied with something like "yup, as long as you don't do anything stupid you should be all set". Who me, do anything stupid????? HA!!!! Hmmmmmm.....I thought, running up this hill with my treks and a bum ankle may be stupid right about now, so the bravado I had for the one moment went quickly away as I took little bunny foot hops from rock to rock and making sure my ankles were sturdy the entire time.

I would finally get to a place where I was at about 3 miles or so and take more pictures.
This is the reward one gets from running the trails this time of the year in New England. There is nothing quite like it.

On another note, I did my first road run this morning in over a week. I was cautiously optimistic and did my first .75 of a mile really slow but then decided I wanted to pick up the pace some as this week was originally supposed to be nothing but speed work, but with the ankle speed work would be Russian Roulette right about now so made sure I stepped up the pace, but not so much that the hammies would get too tight which seemed to work. I didn't bring my Garmin and measured my pace by keeping my heart rate up to just a little above where having a conversation would be easy. I still felt good after doing three miles so hoping to get in one more run before the race on Sunday. Thursday will be running, Friday will be elliptical and Saturday will be a rest day.

Take care all.

Trail Running Groton Town Forest

I decided to meet up with a friend today at the Groton Town Forrest for a trail run to test out the old ankle and to finally get out there to drink in all of the lovely fall foliage that has exploded all over New England the past couple of weeks. My ankle is still giving me slight discomfort but have been feeling antsy the past few days considering I haven't run a trail in over two weeks now and plus I have my first trail race at this forest next weekend so decided to be proactive and run with an ankle brace and support socks and just take it slow to see how I did.
We would start off on the trails at a nice steady pace, but I would wince whenever I saw roots which is so out of character for me because I love the more technical trail because they are such a challenge and usually run over them with ease, but today, every root or rock could cause the potential end to my running with a twisted ankle so would either take baby steps or giant leaps over the roots to give my ankle a break (I'm sure it loved those leaps!)
The Groton Town Forest is a beautiful trail in every sense as it's a classic New England Single Track trail with narrow paths, plenty of roots and changes in elevation. The leaves are at their peak so every once in a while I would ask Tom to stop so I could get a photo and a drink of water. I would also use my ears to ID the woodland birds we would hear as we went about out way and I'd yell out which ones they were to him, letting him know that I would have to stop for a Golden-crowned Kinglet and sure enough there would be quite a few of them the further we got into the woods.
Another picturesque scene as we went about our way. Sigh, so nice to get out there and see all of this with the weather we had. It was breezy but felt refreshing as I was starting to overheat with a base layer of a long turtle neck (wick proof) and my compression pants. I'm thinking shorts will be a must for the race next week as I find I am better with body temperature regulation with shorts on unless it gets below 45 degrees or so.
We would stop here for another break and more photos and I'd take some photos of Tom running downhill as I was behind him the entire time so really liked how he tackled them with full gusto vs me who ran them with complete caution out of fear of hurting the ankle. I don't trail run with others that often and really liked it because I could watch how he tackled certain sections of the trail and learn some new things due to the fact that I've been doing this for a little over a year now and still learning so its nice to see others as you can always pick up a thing or two. After a while my confidence was a little stronger and I too would run down some of the less steep downhills with gusto but not like I usually do which is like a bull in a china shop!! ;-)
So all in all, it was fantastic and makes me look forward to the race even more next week (despite a bad case of nerves). The ankle continues to feel fine so I am guessing the break from running this past week and still keeping my aerobic capacity somewhat strong from gym cardio did the trick. Will continue to take it easy this week just to be safe of course, but I can't rule out a small trail run tomorrow as there is still so much fall beauty to see!

Take care all.