When we left the parking lot, the plan was for an "easy" 20 kilometers. It didnt take long for me to realize that MY definition of "easy" was different from Amanda and Shari's.... But I wasnt about to get lost on the woods by myself, so I kept up to them. It was easy to tell that they were much more seasoned runners than I.....Shari was running with poles!!!
To the lay person, and the trail runner rookies, like myself, poles are associated with skiing...not running. Well, as we jumped over a fallen tree, at the top of a long sandy hill that ended on the edge of a mosquito infested swamp, I quickly saw that I had missed a page in my running guide "Trail Running for Dummies"!!! Trail runners do not "run" down sandy hills...we SKI down the them!!! Note to self: poles are required, in order to prove ones self as more than a rookie in the trail running world.
I did offer to carry Shari's poles for her (and perhaps use them) at one point, when her pace slowed down enough that I could see her through the cloud of dust billowing in front of me....she graciously declined and said it was part of her training regime....
As I plodded along, now heading back towards the parking lot, I could sense a blister starting to form on the bottom of my foot. At the 18 km mark, the vehicles were in sight, so I told the ladies I was going to end my expedition 2 km early in an attempt to save my feet for tomorrows run. It seemed like an excellent idea to me!! I was quite happy to see that even after just 1 week of trail running I was starting to see the big picture, listen to my body, and change my plans as needed, in order to prevent blisters on my feet which would surely put me on the injured list for a long time to come.
Once Shari and Amanda finished the "Expert" distance of 20 km, they met me back in the parking lot and I happily alerted them that I made it back WITH NO BLISTERS!!! Sheri then admitted that she had been running with FIVE blisters on her feet and had recently lost FOUR toe nails!!!
It was then that I realized that I must have missed another chapter in "Trail Running for Dummies" where they discussed the common practice of running until your toenails fall off and you have multiple blisters on your feet!!
When I got home and showered, and confirmed I had one very small blister, I searched through my shirt drawer and found a shirt that I am very proud of and proves to myself that I CAN DO THIS!!! I WILL learn to run until my toenails fall of even though I have blisters on my feet!!!
What would we ever do if we werent challenged?? Tomorrow is another day of running the trails. Hopefully, I will come home with all my toenails....and maybe even a blister!!! Maybe then, I can consider myself a "trail runner"..... 😎
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