A number of weeks ago one of the lunar b*tches sent me information about a race she said she “wanted to work towards.” Because this is the year I turn 50 and I’m committed to challenging myself in as many new ways as possible, I replied that we should do it – this year. At the time, registration for the Mother’s Day race was being offered at a reduced price, which only increased the appeal of a twelve-mile trail run with ~3500 ft of elevation. We both signed up.
Since that time, I’ve been reading and talking about the Seven Sisters and have gotten a bit nervous about the event. I’ve read about the high incidence of injuries (broken ankles seem prevalent) and have seen the discrepancy between the number of runners who start the race and those who finish the course. As I learn more about the race, my only available response is to make a concerted effort to work harder to prep train. Here’s what I’m working on…
For the first time since 2014, I took my road bike out for a spin a couple of weekends ago and got in a decent ride. I ran out of time and couldn’t complete my usual 20+ mile loop, but I think I got 16 or 17 miles in and I enjoyed it. Winning.
I went for a hike recently – something I seriously haven’t done in years. It was about 7 miles with some clambering and I really enjoyed it. There were some gorgeous views and my childhood love of the woods remains true. I want to do more hiking this summer and hope to convince the Lilly boys to join me. I’ll let you know how that goes!
This past weekend I ran my longest distance ever – nearly 15 miles. The loop I ran was phenomenal with more downhill than uphill and I really loved the 2.5 hours I spent on my feet. No, really, I kept thinking about how the best gift I ever give to myself is time outdoors. How lucky am I to be able to indulge that passion by walking out my door to cycle, hike or run?
In the next 6 weeks I’ll be doing more long runs, hikes and rides, as well as spending some time on vacation probably doing a lot less. We’ll call that tapering. On May 8th I’ll be on that trail doing my best to complete a challenging course with a terrific friend and without injury. Maybe you can have a mimosa for me? Better make that two, one for each of us.
DelSo 