Not so fun run

Weekend of October 17th

On Saturday October 17th I participated in a 5k “fun run.” The purpose of the run, (because all runs have to have a purpose or cause) was to raise money to build a dog park in Montrose, Co. Early Saturday morning, Odie (my hound mix) and I headed to a gorgeous park in Montrose for the run. The bright oranges and reds of the leaves still left on the trees illuminated the sky. Just a week earlier Christine and I completed an 8k run, I felt good during that race, so I felt strong going into this 5k.

When I arrive early for registration, I am one of about 10 people. Not to worry, I’m early, there must be more people coming. There are no bib numbers for this race, and no official timekeepers, so I am disappointed. However, the race kit bag was good (for Odie) it contained mostly dog treats. The tee shirt on a scale of 1 to 10 was about a 4 (it’s now sitting in the pile to go to Goodwill).

The course for this 5k was awful. The first half mile was around a pond knee deep in goose poop! For those of you that know Odie, you know how bonkers he went when he saw all the geese. As we round the pond I see the nice paved trail and think I am going hit the trail, settle in, and find my rhythm. Wrong, the course takes me over a bridge and up the side of a mountain, the path is not paved. I reassure myself that the incline is going to be fine, 1) because Odie is pulling me up and 2) my favorite running trail in Ridgway has a steep incline. For about 1.5 miles, I’m inclining but still jogging. On the decent I see that paved trail again, which I think will take me to the home stretch. Wrong, it takes me though a hiking trail in a wooded area. There are so many leaves on the trail I briefly loose the trail and have to back track. The remainder of the trail doesn’t get any better, I run by another pond surrounded by marshy land on a trail so narrow Odie and I must run one behind the other (guess who lead the way).

Well I finally finish the course, as the last runner (of about 15) at just a hair over 37 min. I thought any race is a good race to get racing experience; however, that may not be the case. My advice is to check out the course before hand!

What to look forward to this week:

This week is my first week of a regimented training program. Monday is my yoga class at the Chipita with Kimah (if you are ever in SW CO check out the Chipita lodge, it’s fantastic). I have to chat with Kimah about loosening up my hips, I find I’m holding a lot of tension in that area after my runs. Tuesday (3m) , Thursday (3) , and Sunday (4) are my running days this week. Monday and Thursday are strength training days.

Next Race Info:

The next race I am running (and most likely my last before the PF Changs in January) is a 10K in San Diego on Thanksgiving.