What goes DOWN must come UP!

After the long work weekend and another big event yesterday, I took today off to recuperate. I had a few appointments in the morning and then hit the trail around 1 pm. 

My body and mind were pretty exhausted (as pictured below) and I was hungry. Honestly, all I wanted to do was sleep. BUT, I love taking full advantage of days off and The Ridgeline Trail was on my to do list. 

I'll rest someday...maybe

I have about 8 weeks to get in trail running shape and the summer is already getting filled up, so I feel a bit of urgency to get on the trails for some longer distances. Ready or not.

I spy something...


ORANGE!


Oh yes, I'm having fun (insert sarcasm)! My lactic acid filled legs from Sunday's race and Monday's bike commuting, weight lifting and run feel fabulous! Bah hahaha...


I was starting to think this trail running thing was a pretty bad idea about 15 minutes in because I just felt terrible. 

Several times I almost turned around, but somehow I kept going. And then I miraculously hit 30 minutes and felt good. This conveniently coincided with the trail flattening out a bit. But it also felt like my legs had flushed out some of that junk so I kept going.

On the Ridgeline Trail, what goes DOWN, must come UP. Makes sense I guess as you're going up and over one peak and on to the next the entire time, hence "The Ridgeline Trail." 



Luckily, the UP was made a bit easier with a Double Expresso Clif Shot - highly recommended!


At 20 minutes in, I wasn't sure if I would even hit 5 miles for the day, but after mile 4 or so, I started thinking "maybe I'll hit 7"...and a bit later, "maybe 8."

I finished 10 miles and my energy levels went from "blah" to "yippee" just like that. Now I just have a cranky hip flexor to deal with and some homemade lasagna to eat.

Hope your Tuesday was stellar!

Comments

Unknown said…
I have really come to love trail running! Your run looks beautiful!
Leigh said…
I am with you on using your days off to the fullest. Makes me feel guilty if I don't! The trails look so gorgeous :)
Way to push through and finish strong! It def have those runs where the first miles feel SO hard and then before I know it, I've clocked 8-10 miles.

I am glad you took a day off, especially after a busy weekend of work (I think you worked last weekend?). I have a blissful 1.5 week vacation that is quickly approaching (8 more days of work!). I can't wait. I haven't had a day off that wasn't spent studying since January so I NEED this vacation!
missris said…
I love using days off to get a workout in, whether it's running on empty trails or trying out a class at the gym that's at an odd time. I hope you did some relaxing last night after your run!
Unknown said…
I was going to mention your question about Bart Yass and link you up on my next blog post... would that be alright?
Great job! I often find that if I keep going for a few miles it gets easier. Most of the time! Your trails look beautiful! Can you recommend any trail runs near Sisters?
Lindsey said…
Running on Ridgeline always puts a smile on my face. Good for you for taking yesterday off! I did the same thing a couple weeks ago after being really busy at work. It's so good to rest.
The trail looks like a great distraction from lactic-acid filled muscles ;) Glad you felt better by the end!
J said…
OMG that trail looks awesome! I do love the looks of trails but I do not like the hills. We have a bunch of flat ones around here so I love that.

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