I Learned my Lesson

It was a beautiful day for a run on the trails! And then I forgot where I was going and was late to meet the runners.

We had planned to do a trial run before the Frozen Trail Race that's happening on Dec. 18. I'm still undecided about running, but there are many distance options, so we'll see.

Either way, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run some trails!

I've only hiked here before and wasn't really aware of all the trails. I hopped on trail 3 that headed toward the east trail head, thinking there would be a trail to connect me back to the main parking lot.

So after 5 miles, realizing the east trailhead did NOT connect back, I was forced to head back the way I came another 3+ miles.

There were a few pluses to this: I had my Nike Goretex shoes on so each stomp in a puddle left my toes dry and warm, the scenery was beautiful and it wasn't raining or snowing.

There were even a few signs of Christmas in the form of red berries!

On the way back I decided to walk the steep stuff so as to not exhaust my legs and just remain calm. I was getting tired and hungry so I didn't want to take any bad spills because I was hurrying.

I made it out alive with only one trip in the mud. Some parts of the trail were so slippery my feet didn't have much traction.

Running: 8.36 miles in 1h 30 min - crazy how slow the miles tick away when you're running trails
Walking: ~ 1 mile

Moral of the story is: don't run alone in a new place, don't take trails you're unsure of without a map, put some gu/gels in your pocket just in case and wear layers!

I knew I'd be okay, but when I had to make the turn around at mile 5, a bit of panic was setting in. I took the wrong trail back at first, it was getting colder (so I shoved my gloves back on and zipped up the jacket-thank you, layers), no one knew where I was specifically, I was getting hungry, etc.

So Santa, maybe you could add some pepper spray to my list? I mean, I never run anywhere unsafe or anything, but you know...just in case. :)

After I got home and showered and turned on the Civil War game (Ducks are going to the BCS National Championships, baby!), I gave myself a little pedicure.

These feet needed some serious TLC. I've had my Dr. Scholl's foot spa for about 10 years and it's been a great gift. I use it once every few months in between getting actual pedicures.

I hope everyone's weekend is going well and you're not out getting lost like myself!

Comments

Gracie said…
Sounds scary but fun at the same time. I love running new places and kind of (a little bit) getting lost.
I SO need to do my toes. When I ran Harrisburg and followed it by Gulf Coast marathon in 2 weeks, the fascinating results was that all my polish chipped off. It's amazing. It looks like I used remover but I didn't. When I stop being intrigued by the phenomenon I'll make my feet all cute like yours.
Amber said…
Hahaha oh no! I totally got lost on the trails once when it was really foggy out. It majorly freaked me out! I actually rarely run trails alone now because of it!

Looks like a nice area to run though :)
Yikes, I am glad you found your way back. Looks like a beautiful area to run, though!

The at home pedi sounds awesome! I am terrible at painting my own toe nails so I have to stick w/ clear!!!
Sheesh girl, take care of yourself out there! I'm glad you made it out w/o too much trouble, and gave the feet the TLC they earned ;)
Anonymous said…
Sounds like an adventure ! Btw, I asked Santa for a foot spa this year. There were a lot of not-so-positive reviews so I'm glad you're happy with yours !
Laura said…
I got a foot spa from my mom about a year ago, but haven't quite figured out what to do with it. What kinds of soaps/bubbly/etc stuff do you put in it to help smooth your feet? Or is it more just soothing?

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