Monday, August 06, 2007

The end of an era

I'm finally over that virus I had, but I was still feeling less than 100 percent up to a few days ago. I was sure I had strep but went to the doctor last week for a strep test and it came up negative. Viruses don't usually hit me that hard or long. Oh well. Being sick is boring and talking about it is even more boring. So on to building up that mileage again!

I hit about 24 miles for my mileage last week. This week I'm aiming for a realistic 40, but hopefully closer to 50. On Saturday, after sleeping in, the little guy and I went out for a 6.5 mile turn around the neighbor. He biked and I ran. I love that we can go out together and we're fortunate that there are some dedicated bike paths very near to our house.

On Sunday it was back to the trails. Its been a while since we've run the far end of Wildwood, so Sharon and I headed over to the Germantown Rd. trailhead to run to Newton Rd and back, about 11 miles. We started later than normal at about 7:30am and with the overcast skies, the trail was a bit dark. This section seems to have the most roots of any part of Wildwood and the lighting made for tough visibility.

Sharon was the first to trip. She was in front of me and did an awesome superman impression with arms outstretched. Fortunately she caught herself before she went down, but it was an incredible sight! Not long after that, my toe caught a root. With no time to catch myself I hit the ground and quickly tucked and rolled. I was up without a scratch. Spectacular!

You know, I was really glad for that fall. It's been about a year since I've gone down and I've been waiting for it to happen again. But just a few minutes later, as I was feeling all pleased with myself for getting that out of the way, my foot hit another root. This one was a full body slam! One knee hit hard and I lost some skin on my right palm. I even had dirt under my fingernails. My knee throbbed for a moment and it didn't take long for a welt to develop right above. But I was lucky that the pain quickly went away and there was no adverse effect on my running stride. What really struck me about that fall was that I was laughing before I hit the ground. Partly laughing at myself for being so cocky. Partly laughing at the crazy fun this trail running stuff is! The rest of the run was fairly uneventful, although Sharon got in another superman impression, but again a near miss. I guess her reflexes were working better than mine that day!

So as usual, it was the best of trail runs with my trail buddy Sharon. The sad part is that it is likely our last run together for awhile. Sharon is moving at the end of the month to pursue an awesome career opportunity. I'm incredibly happy for her, but will greatly miss my regular trail buddy (and good friend). The good news is that she's only moving a two hours drive north. I'm already scouting out the trail races in her area. Now I just have to find a trail running group for her so she'll be in shape to run them with me!


TBF!
(trail buddies forever!)

18 comments:

Jack said...

I've been working on the frequent "flyer" mileage myself this week, I tripped and took a tumble last night - pulled my quad muscle, no fun. Note-to-self: don't daydream while trail running!

Randy - Maniac #788 said...

Your falls sounded spectacular indeed...not sure I wouild want to run there....sounds like you had a great time tho..that is what counts...hate to hear that you are losing a running buddy...good ones are hard to find.

Joe said...

Up, up and awayyyyyyyyy!!! Glad only a minor scrape to the knee and no major damage to the ego.

Yes, you'll miss Sharon...all the best to her...remember the good runs and make time to connect in future!

Olga said...

Can't believe you wanted to fall:) Sorry that Sharon is leaving, that's a bummer, but you know what, it means you'll have more fun when you do meet up for a run, and at new places at that! Say my best to her.

Ben, aka BadBen said...

I'm glad you're feeling better.
When trail buddies move away, it just widens your parameters for a potential trail run or overnight stay.
My friend "Good Ben" (Reeves) is moving to Denver. I consider it an opportunity to travel there and run on his trails!

Happy trails,
Bad Ben

Jessica DeLine said...

glad you are feeling better but that is a bummer about a friend and running buddy moving away...

Carrie said...

Bummer that Sharon is moving. You two have had consistent weekend runs for a long time now. Maybe you could meet somewhere in-between to keep up the weekend runs? Well, maybe not.

Congrats on the fall. I need some falling practice....

Darrell said...

I guess falling is an inevitable part of trail running. I'm glad these were high points rather than run enders.

I'm glad to hear that you've outlasted the virus.

Backofpack said...

I'm trying to figure out where two hours north puts her? Not quite to us I guess. Hope you find a new trail buddy to hang out with!

wendy said...

I second Jack, ha ha, frequent flyer miles - I'll have to use that next time. At least you know you're in good company. ;-)

I'm glad you're feeling better, that's still a pretty good weekly mileage, I mean, I remember something about a trip to Florida that sounded worse than 24. =)

Happy running!

Unknown said...

It's nice to have some trail scars to show how tough you are. Glad to hear that you are feeling better and back out and building the mileage again.

Adelyn said...

Sounds like a great last run, even though your running became a bit more of a contact sport than normal :)

Sorry to hear your losing your running buddy, but hopefully you'll both be able to find new running peoples to keep you motivated and you'll be able to meet up at races and such occassionally :)

Stephanie said...

I'm sure just because you won't be running together that much any longer you won't be conntected. A new, different type of friendship will form, maybe even deeper.

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

Sarah Said:quickly tucked and rolled. I was up without a scratch. Spectacular!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hmmmm sounds like some Free Running skills to me-haha

ummm I am a Trail Run Virgin, had a few ankle rolls but not the wipe out yet, mostly cuz I don't run trails...saving up a good one for the Tetons though :-)

Glad ur feeling better Hun, & yes U and Sharon's bond will strengthen when you do hook up to run trails in the future...have a great week!

Gretchen said...

It can be hard to find those running partners that you really click with and love to run with, their presence is definitely something to appreciate. Just remember that you can do it on your own too!
Hope you fully kick that virus in the butt and wish it good riddance!

Sarah Elaine said...

Spectalar falls is right!

I always feel better when I read about others' mishaps, because I'm an uber-klutz myself.

Sorry to hear that your buddy is moving, too.

Ryan said...

Way to kick that cold and get back out on the trails...isn't trail running so much fun you never no what's goin to happen next! So sorry to hear about your fellow runner...hope you can find a new patch of dirt somewhere between each other!

Rick Gaston said...

Yeah, it alwayas bites when good running partners move away. The last two I had got married and moved away.

You guys should make t-shirts.

Way to get back into the step of things.