Three Weeks

Today, I was supposed to be writing my race report from the 50th Mt. Washington Road Race. Things didn't exactly turn out the way I had hoped. Since Pineland, it's been nothing but setbacks, and I've had only three quality runs.

The first was on Saturday, June 5. Somewhat by chance, I was passing by Fort Rock in Exeter, NH. I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it the the Exeter Trail Races, so I was stoked to have a chance to check out the enemy's turf. I heard plenty of good things about these trails. I had taken a peek at the trail maps, so I had rough idea where I thought I might like to run. I was hoping for about 45 minutes. Long story short: I got very, very lost. I was out for nearly an hour and a half. I ended up finishing on the roads after finding myself in a condo complex. Luckily, two very nice, but very perplexed women were kind enough to give a very sweaty, smelly fellow directions. And, the entire time, I was trying to figure out why my chest hurt so much...hmmmm...

After taking a few days off to let my now confirmed cracked rib heal and a couple short, easy runs to test it out, my second quality run came on Friday, June 11. I was looking to get in a solid hour, and being at Great Glen Trails, I decided that the Granite State Snowshoe Championship course would be a good choice: fun trails and plenty of hills. The recipe was just right, and I felt great. Ran very easy and finished in just under an hour.

Two days later on June 13, D and I invited a bunch of Trail Monsters to our house for Cathance and Pancakes. A great crew showed up, and the running was just as good. I led the crew on a 9-mile loop through the Cathance River Nature Preserve and also made sure we had an option for those looking to go a little shorter. Great time on the trails, and I felt very relaxed and comfortable the whole way. I felt more comfortable once we returned to our house and ate a bunch of pancakes and drank a ton of coffee. Be sure to check out Chuck's pics.

That afternoon, I felt a little off, and I knew something was wrong. By Monday, it was clear that my sinuses were in a very bad place. On Tuesday, I had my prescription for antibiotics to combat a pretty nasty sinus infection. I maintained a level of functionality throughout the week, but I was basically a zombie. Running was out of the question. It was compounded by the fact that I barely slept most nights due to aggressive coughing fits. In short, I was a mess. On Thursday night, I decided that running up Mt. Washington was out of the question. In some ways, it was an easy decision. In others, I couldn't believe I wouldn't be toeing the line on Saturday.

So, that's what June has been like. I've actually had fewer days running than not running this month. That's grim. I guess a cracked rib and a sinus infection will do that.

Now, with all that in mind. I actually feeling really optimistic and excited for the rest of the summer. I'm not saying that I'm going to have great race results, but I know that I'm going to enjoy running. And, just running. That will be the key to epiphany #3. It's pretty clear that 10 years away from running (and getting fat) aren't overcome by just a couple years of running. It takes more time than that. And, I've decided that that's OK. Plus, not running has given me time to think about running. (I'm better at thinking about than I am at doing it.) Specifically, I've been thinking about the type of running I want to do: more trails, more fun trails. Perhaps even longer trails...perhaps...

During this crappy month, I've watched this video about 100 times:



It's not new, and it features Coldplay (ugh). However, it makes me want to get out and go. And, if I'm still excited to run after the way the last three weeks have gone, it bodes well for my attitude and motivation once I get back into it. Maybe I'll even run another ult...