the calm after the storm

After a wild Saturday night of thunder, lightning and plenty of hail, Sunday was a calm, beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It started off a little slow, but I made it out to the park for some trail running, which I was sure would be plenty muddy.

I wasn’t disappointed. I couldn’t even get to the main trail without going through standing water and mud, so it set the tone for the run. I decided to keep it somewhat easy and enjoy the surroundings. Much like my yard, there were plenty of downed leaves everywhere, but there were also more wash-outs than before, making for some treacherous running. I made my way up and around the trail loop, then dropped down, crossed the road and went up another hill to another trail. I got to the top and through the woods and began to circle around the mounds that were in the clearing. I decided to extend my run up here by running cross country style along the line of the woods where a path had been mowed. It proved to not be my best ideas – I managed to find a hidden hole and wrenched my right ankle a bit. I kept running and assessed my ankle and it seemed okay. I made it to the road (level ground) and ran a little while on it to see how my ankle was feeling. The initial pain subsided and disappeared, so I jumped back onto the trail and back down the trail. I finished my loop and then kept going along the banks of Fall Creek, then up the sledding hill and back down. I headed back to my car and then stretched and cleaned up.

 

It was a short run (5 miles) but I packed a lot of terrain in and got quite a workout. I finished feeling worn out – but in a good way. Like I finally accomplished something good. It wasn’t until later in the day that my ankle started throbbing… not terribly painful, but sore. This morning it seems better, slightly sore, but nothing to worry about.

 

I’ll try for a few easier road runs this week – hopefully after work today – and see how it goes. I am also going to try to put together a training schedule for the fall and it may be a full marathon training plan (even if I only run the half). Stay tuned for more on this…

 

Until then, happy running…