Miles of Undulating Emotions

Last weekend's long run was supposed to be a straightforward 20 mile training run on Monolith Garden Trails. I started about 2 hours later than I normally would but thankfully the temperatures were only in the 70's and 80's while I was out there. I did my first loop and included the upper loop. I am normally up there with my training buddy, Nate, who keeps us humming at a good pace but he was not there this time. I took advantage of that to stop and take as many pictures as I could of the trail, mountains and animals.

The first 7 miles were fun and laid back. The trail was torn up big time from the storms that have been coming through so I had to really watch my footing but there was a nice breeze and I was really enjoying myself. I was also practicing running at a slower pace and by feel for this long run. At mile 7 I received a phone call from my sister letting me know that one of our furry family members, Reilly, was dying of kidney failure secondary to a spider bite she had been being treated for. I had been expecting the call. I don't know why but I just knew when I woke up that morning that I was going to get that call but I had pushed it to the back of my mind hoping that I was wrong. I wasn't. After we hung up, I lost it. I have never cried while out on the trails but I was straight up bawling. I even started hyperventilating but I kept moving. I NEEDED to keep moving.

I pulled it together just as I came across the herd of cattle that I always see out there. There are a few new members to the herd, one of which is a younger black bull. He was standoffish which is unusual for that herd and he stood across the trail to block me. I waited until he was done showing me who was boss because I wasn't about to stand out there and have a pissing contest with a big black bull. Uh uh!!! He finally moved on so I started running the trail again and the herd began running parallel to me about 300 yards away from me. Once again the bull hung back to make sure that I knew he was large and in charge. I concede, Mr. Feisty Pants. I concede. I need to come up with a nickname for him. ; )

Around mile 10 I stopped to fuel. While I was sitting there I looked up and saw what looked like the outline of a mule deer's head. It wasn't moving though and I could not see any features or color. I sat there munching on my sandwich watching that outline and it finally moved! I knew it! It was a decent sized muley, too. It moved on and I jumped up and tried to cut it off around a bend so I could get a picture of it but it had gone down the backside of the mountain. It is always neat to see them though because they can be elusive out there. Then I had a turkey vulture circling overhead about 20 feet up. I could even see his eyes. I was worried he was going to poop on my head or dive bomb me. Thankfully he did not do either of those things!! I did get to snap a few shots of him though and that was really cool. (I had a ton of cool pictures from this run but unfortunately a few days later my phone was submerged in water and is toast.)

Can you spot the mule deer?

At mile 13 I received a text from my sister letting me know that Reilly was gone. Gone forever. I lost it again. I was so glad that nobody was around to hear my sniveling and hyperventilating. I kept tripping and stubbing my left big toe on rocks.  I rarely trip and yet I kept doing it over and over again for a couple of miles. I felt like I had a huge weight on my back and was dragging my feet. Thankfully nobody was out there to hear me yelling at the rocks and myself because I dropped the F-bomb a lot...

I know that some people reading this are probably thinking that it is "just" a dog but that is not how it is in our family. Our animals are family members. Hell, we are closer to our animals than we are most people. They have such kind gentle souls and show us unconditional love. Also, it wasn't just about Reilly. It was also about the animals and people we have lost over the past year or so. About how fragile life is and how fast the years go by. It was about the sadness that I knew my sister and her family were feeling. A roller coaster of emotions hit me like waves throughout those long undulating 20 miles. I would not have wanted to be anywhere else though. Running is much more than exercise for me. It is therapeutic. I left it all out there on the trails that morning.

Reilly Girl!!

Cherish and appreciate your loved ones. Human, furry or furry humans. : ) Appreciate every single day that you have with them. Never take it for granted. You can never say "I love you" too much. Tell them every single day.

Back Out on the Trails

I took a couple of weeks off from running after that last race for a few reasons. First off, I had the stomach flu the first week after and couldn't run without feeling sick to my stomach. I did ride my bike once and went to Anna's bootcamp class but recognized that my body needed a break. That is why I decided to take the next week off from all training. (That quickly became an exercise in will power.) I think that taking an extended break occasionally is a good way to ward off injuries and allow your body to completely recover. I felt that I could only reap benefits from the break before I resumed my 50km training. It worked out perfectly because I realized I was 2 weeks ahead on my training program. The break put it back on track. 

My first run back was only 4 miles on Monolith with Nate and PJ. I could definitely tell that my cardio took a hit from the time off. I am back in my Nike Wildhorses though so my feet, footing and legs felt good. I ended up goofing off a bit for the last part of the run and doing things like stopping to take pictures. I couldn't help it!! The monsoons were all over and the rock outcroppings and skies looked beautiful. Sometimes you just have to stop and take it all in. Needless to say I ran the last couple of miles by myself. : )

The next run was also 4 miles on Monolith with Nate and Mike. My cardio has already improved and my legs felt strong. No picture breaks this time. ; ) I am beyond happy to be back out on the trails. I start to get cranky when I go too many days without being out there. The trails truly help calm my mind and are my place of serentity. A place to reset. This peace carries over to being a better wife and mom, and since my husband and son are my world this is pretty crucial!!! Moving onto the long run this weekend...

I will end this post with a picture I took of the skies after I returned home from my run. My loyal sidekick, Leon, came out with me to take the shot of the skies. Until next time...