There were lots of people out on the trails. I always thanked people with puppies for giving me a good excuse for stopping. On the boundary trail, I was able to run pretty well till the steep hill up from the back. I walked that entirely. I think it was after that, I started putting my feet into any little stream, appreciating the cold. I felt like it gave me a bit of relief from the toe pain. I headed back to the summit like Blaine and I had, hours and hours ago. The raptor counter was still there, along with a group of people enjoying the beautiful day and views.
The Tote Road is normally one of my favorites on the Mountain side, probably because it's a good place to recover during the Breaker, recover AND even pick up the pace. That was not the case today. The rooty ground was very mean to my feet. I'm not even talking about catching a toe or nearly tripping; just landing on the uneven trail shot pain through my toes. I began to play a little game in my head, trying to figure what my mileage would be when I got down and what mileage I would let myself call close enough. Yup, 29 miles seemed very respectable, given the day and terrain. Yup, I could call it quits when I got back to the parking lot.
My brain is a bit gullible. It helped thinking I would stop, but some mean person in there made me run across the road to get the right distance. That same mean part of me always knew it would. I think that's who I have to thank for being able to run Pineland. I even went a little faster on the east side - not just cause it's flatter. I started worrying that E & L's was going to be closed before I finished. That would be cruel!
Done. 31.21 miles and 6:46:21 showed on the Garmin. Feeling pretty good, I immediately drove towards to yummy food. Remembered to call Rick. There was Mindy waiting for me. She hadn't even eaten yet (well, except for a cookie). We were both ordered the TBLT that Mindy had pined for since she first had it; it was on special. I think it was her karmic reward. Oh. My. God. Yum!
Sunday's Recovery Run: I was amazed at how little my big toes hurt as a I headed down the drive for a run in the fields. I was pretty surprised at how little hurt, till about 2.5 miles in. My ITB spoke up then (the left side, as always). That was a little disturbing. It can become a real issue or be able to be worked out. It still remains to be seen. I finished my 4 miles because I had to get back. Monday was a day off. Today, I'll get more info on the condition. I'll also be calling Julia for a massage.
Oh. And because I made myself take the camera after Blaine's portion, here's some shots (all from the final bit):
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| Brookie - a very sweet pit bull pup |
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| The raptor count |
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| the day |
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| the raptor counter |
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| Billy or Willy |
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| Billy and Willy |
Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI also went with the TBLT while I waited for Erin to come pick me up. Once I was done eating, I took my tea outside with me and hung out on the rocks next to the parking lot.
It was a good day for sitting outside.
"It wasn't till I was at the fork, that I chose to go up the mountain rather than back across the street." I have been wanting to comment that this is the most beautifully poetic sentence. I think it should be the first sentence in your memoir (should you choose to write your memoirs someday).
ReplyDelete