A Saturday Running Adventure

So today my little Saturday morning running club of Kristy, Jess and myself went to run at the Greenway in Fort Mill for the first time.  It's kind of exciting to run in a new place for the first time. We get there and we're chatting with the guy that sits in the little shack at the entrance.  He asks what trail we're taking and we tell him the Sugar Trail.  He says "That one goes up and down like this" and makes a motion with his hand like a small ocean wave.  Then he says, "Even walkers find that trail challenging."

Immediately this made me nervous. I was hoping for a good solid six miles, running the whole way, looking to take that as a sign that I should register for the 10k (which is 6.2 miles) that is next weekend.  See it's a couple of weeks before my training program tells me I'll be ready, but there's not another 10k that I would want to do until the end of January. That is a long time to wait when you're this close. So, I've been trying to decide if I should do it or not.

So we start out, heading for the Sugar Trail.  The trails at the Greenway are unpaved, single file through the woods. Let me tell you, it is completely different doing trail running than it is to run on pavement through parks or neighborhoods. First, there were tree roots everywhere. You had to run with you head down the whole time.  Also, there were lots of leaves wet with dew, so you had to watch your step. It was probably really beautiful, but I couldn't tell you that for sure because all I saw was my feet, roots and leaves.

You also have to pay attention and know where you are going with trail runs.  This is key. The trails often cross each other or come together and then break apart. We got temporarily lost today, because I was leading and missed a turn. We were supposed to do the three-mile loop twice, but with what we tacked on that was extra, we only did it once and ended up with five miles. So, in the end, it worked out.

Even with all of the challenges today, my Saturday morning run is my favorite of the week because of the time spent with Jess and Kristy.  I get up earlier on Saturday to meet them for a run then I do to go to work during the week...and I don't mind!

So today we ended up walking more than I wanted, between the hills and the getting lost.  Still, by the end I decided that I've got to try the 10k next week.  I'm not expecting to run the whole distance, but I know I'll be able to run a majority of it it.  I'm not exactly sure what kind of time goal I should have my first time in a 10k, but it shouldn't take me more than an hour and ten minutes.  An hour and six minutes would be great, I guess, cause that would put me at about an 11 minute mile.  We'll see.

Not sure that this blog really had a point, but it's just what I'm thinking about today...