A Blessing and a Curse

Yesterday, I headed out to the trails in search of kicking my own butt (and cranking out 10 or so miles).

Within the first two miles, I found myself at the top of one climb, walking and my legs shaking and not sure that this run would go much further. I'm not sure if my body was just tired from the week or still asleep, but I knew it could do more.


So I pressed on hoping to get to 5 miles and reassess then. As runs usually go, I ended up feeling okay and continued to run along the Ridgeline Trail, up and over Mt. Baldy and back again and then along the trail in the other direction.


I fueled with nuun water and some 'lemon sublime' Gu around mile 7. Let me tell you, in cold weather, this gu tasted like a congealed otter pop...interesting. The weather was perfect - 40s, but sunny and patches of fog.


While there are many people in Eugene who are up for trail runs, the ones I know are either slower or faster than myself by a decent amount. Thus, I am left to brave the trails alone.

But as I was lamenting over this yesterday, I realized it's also a blessing because it allows me to spend time with my thoughts and discover that I am strong enough to get through anything, whether it be a rough hill or a few sucky miles.

AND I can walk when I feel like it - and I did - up a few hills and down a hill when my knee ached.


So after a few decent runs this weekend, I'm feeling a little better about this trail race. It's funny how quickly that can happen. Now I just need to keep up the trail running for at least another month and hope the trails stay semi-dry. Ha!

Is there something in your life you've realized recently is both a curse and a blessing? 
When I first started running with one of the local groups, I thought "Ugh, no one runs my pace. I'm always going to run alone." But eventually, I figured it out. Some group runs I have to run a little speedier, some days a little slower and some days I just opt to run alone. 

Hope you had a rejuvenating weekend! 

Comments

Raina said…
I have never done a group run of more than 2 people..just a group warm-up. I kinda like my own pace. But on those trails, it would be nice to sometimes have a person to take it all in with, and to have a buddy, (just in case).
I have not been on the whole ridgeline system, but love the views up Spencer's Butte.
Good for you for sticking with it!!

I think working with all men is a blessing and a curse for me. The blessing is that they are direct with communication and there are no clicks or drama, etc. The curse is that sometimes i get tired of being the only girl. Like on Thursday night, there were 10 of us in our group - and I was the only girl. And sometimes it doesn't matter, but sometimes I wish I had another female on my team...
missris said…
I feel that way with running too. I'm either too fast or (more often) too slow, and end up running alone. At first I didn't like it but now I do, and look forward to running as time with my own thoughts and with my music and podcasts. It's dedicated "me" time and I love it!
Amber said…
Great job on the run! I only ever trail run with friends but I have started venturing into the trails a little more with Chloe. There are issues with wild animals around here so I'd be nervous to go too far into the trails by myself!
J said…
Sometimes I like being alone because then I can do whatever I want and then other times i like to be with people. Guess it just depends on the day!
Lindsey said…
We just discovered Ridgeline goes to Hendricks Park now! We took Max for a walk on the new section over the weekend.

I think my injury last year was a curse and a blessing. It was so frustrating to be injured for so long. But it resulted in me starting to do triathlons!
Run-buddies and group runs are a HUGE blessing. Huge. The only "curse" is that it means I set the alarm extra-early for meet-ups ;)

That trail looks gorgeous! You're motivating me to look for more trail-running opportunities. They are all around me, just haven't taken advantage yet!
Your idea of perfect weather is wayyyyy colder than my idea of perfect weather! 40 degrees = brrrrr, blankets, indoor activities, soup.
J said…
In response to your comment on my post about pre/post run routine...you said you did a specific hamstring/glute/hip strengtheners. Any chance you could share those on the blog??
J-Yes, I can share them sometime in the next few weeks. Obviously, not everyone needs to do them as they were given to me by my PT, but I think that a lot of runners get so strong in their quads and neglect the back side and end up getting injured like I have due to muscle imbalances and such.

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