It’s been a couple months since I was able to really run, thanks to a broken toe. I finally passed the 6 week point and decided it was time to get back at it. I had tried to do some hiking at Afton a couple weeks ago, but the rough terrain was just too much on the toe, and I had to bail out of the traditional loop and find flatter, more stable terrain.
This past Saturday though was my chance at redemption. My friend Mike B. and I met up at 6:30 in the Afton parking lot, and we headed out on my first real trail run in months. I told Mike right up front that it’s been so long that this might be a pretty slow loop. Last year I had worked myself up to a 3 hour 15 minute PR pace around the 25K loop, and could pretty easily bang out a 3:20. I knew that today 3:30-3:45 was closer to reality.
As we headed out, we had something else to deal with beyond my injury recovery and de-conditioning… the humidity. Our first descent into the valley was met with fog and mist. It was at that point we knew that this was going to be a pretty oppressive run. Our one saving grace was that there was still a thick cloud cover from the overnight storms. It kept the sun at bay for quite a while, saving us from a lot more misery.
The overnight storms also resulted in some glorious mud puddles. A couple of the ones on the backside of the Trout Brook loop were way deeper than we expected, and the next thing we knew we were looking for a spot to step into the creek to get some of the mud off of our shoes. With our feet nice and wet we proceeded on the rest of the loop, and for the most part things were feeling great. I could tell I was de-conditioned, as keeping up with Mike was at times a challenge. He’s had a great summer so far, and I’ve been stuck with walking. I felt like I could go all day, but my speed was long gone.
Most of the run was uneventful. We ran into a few friends here and there, but overall it was a quiet morning in the park. I still managed to run the length of the river trail from the aid station location to the base of Meatgrinder, which is always a personal goal of mine. Once we got to Meatgrinder though my legs were really starting to feel it. We got to the top and I also started to feel my toe throb every so slightly.
As we came to Snowshoe loop, I knew this was going to be a slow slog for the final 3 miles. About a half mile in to Snowshoe the bonk hit hard and the legs started protesting dramatically. Mike was being very kind and sticking with me, but my performance was getting ugly. I had been managing somewhere in the range of 12-15 minute miles for the previous 13 miles. The final two were barely 18 minute miles. When we got to the final hill I told Mike to go on ahead and finish strong and I’d meet him in the parking lot.
I did manage a few short jogs on the final stretch, but between the legs, the toe, and the oppressive heat of the sun (now completely uncovered), it was a pretty sad sight to watch. I crossed the line at 3:41, still within the window of time I had predicted, but I was pretty spent.
I hobbled back over to the car and began the process of cleaning up and getting re-hydrated/fueled. Despite the bonk, I’m really happy with how the run went. It showed me that despite all the de-conditioning, I’m still capable of getting a rough 25K done if I need to. It feels really good to know that your fitness level isn’t gone in a moments notice, when you’ve spent over a decade getting it ramp’d up. I’m sure I’ll be back to my 3:20 loops soon enough. For now, I’m considering this a solid victory lap.
This pond is 0.4 miles long, so it’s the perfect distance for this event. It also has a gravel path around it, which makes it a little bit more like trail running. I haven’t been running a lot lately, so I didn’t have any serious goals, but know I could probably knock out 10 loops pretty easily (4 miles).
Around loop 7 I decided I was feeling good enough for a 10K and started the math in my head. With a 0.4 mile loop, every 5 loops is 2 miles. So I needed 15.5 loops to make it 6.2 miles. What’s cool about this park is that there are a couple of different entrances and there is another path into the park at the half-way point that dumps me out about 30 feet from the street I live on.
Finally the watch beeped 6 miles and I started the final half-loop to the east entrance to the park. I hit stop of my watch and it was almost 10K on the nose. Really shocked at how well that worked out. I did a slow jog back down the street to my house and spent a few minutes just hanging out in my driveway to cool down. It was super fun to do something silly and crazy, and in solidarity with all of my other trail running folks. I can’t wait to see all the entries this week as we tally the results. It’s amazing what a community can do with each other, even when we can’t be in the same place.
After that point, working up to a 5K distance wasn’t hard. I did my first 5K in May of 2010, and my first half marathon that fall. Running simply became a part of my life. Throughout those early years I did a lot of races in the half marathon range, and attempted one full marathon (that I hated). I got into a groove of doing a few repeat races each year, and was building up my collection of race medals and t-shirts. But running did more for me than just stuff my closets, it also gave me a connection to others via which my life was forever changed.
Once I had completed that race I joined up with a local trail running group at Elm Creek, and 
From there, things just progressed bigger and bigger. Since then I’ve run a multiple 50K’s, a 50 miler, a 100K, and a 100 mile trail race. It took me 5 years to work up to 100 miles on trails, but because of that it went amazingly. I’ve also become a part of the community, joining the board of directors for the Upper Midwest Trail Runners association, for which I’m just starting my final 3 year term of service.
Apart from events our running has also given us an opportunity to explore places all over the country. Every time we vacation, running is a part of it. I’ve run along the ocean in Seattle, through the desert in Vegas, and countless trails throughout the Midwest. I’ve had some incredible 
As I look back, it’s crazy to think that it’s only been 10 years since I started this because it feels like this has been my life since I can remember. I’m hugely grateful to the folks who gave me encouragement when I first started out, and along the journey. Never doubt the power of influence, but more importantly, never doubt yourself and your capabilities. I was the poster child for “someone who doesn’t run”. Yet here I am.