Running Through May

May was a month for running, among other things. Early this year Jared found three races, one each in spring, summer, and fall, that sounded fun and within our abilities so he signed us up. What sounds like a good idea in January can quickly become a dreaded date on the calendar, especially when you haven't made the time to get enough miles under your belt to be really prepared. 

A 10K is a great race to fit into training for longer distances and a great distance to bump up to for anyone who can easily run a 5K. It doesn't require the time commitment of training for a half or full marathon so it's easy to fit into your regular routine. The first race of the year for us was the Unilite Night Trail 10K in Afan Forest Park in Wales. Suffolk, where we live, is flat. Wales, where we ran this race, is not. Afan Forest Park is home to 100 kilometers of mountain biking trails. That's a lot of running up and down twisty, rooty, rocky hills. 


We were all smiles before the race. It was the two of us away for the weekend to run this thing! Since it was a night trail race, we didn't have to be there until the early evening and the race started a little before dusk. We came prepared with headlamps and the race shirts we were given were such a bright shade of flourescent green there was no way would get lost in the dark. The promise of sausage and chips at finish line distracted us from the usual pre-race jitters. The race started with an uphill section of about 2 kilometers, then 6 kilometers of switchbacks that were uphill, downhill, and blessedly flat, and then ended with a brutal 2 kilometers uphill to the finish. I was not ready for the challenge that this run would be. 

Made it the top of the first big hill and still smiling!
It can be difficult to focus on running when the scenery is this amazing
The combination of running on a trail instead of a paved surface, not enough training runs, and running at night instead of my usual morning running really killed me. By the time we were climbing the final hill I was done but sweet Jared was good enough to stay by my side and encourage me. There were crowds at the top of the hill cheering us on and yelling at us to run but I couldn't do more than walk/drag myself up the steep, rocky incline. 

I was honestly a little delirious as I rounded the final corner and headed for the finish line; the race was that difficult.  Even though the course was clearly marked and lined with spectators in the section leading up to the finish line, I was confused as to which way I should run to make it to the finish. I'm grateful Jared was there so that I could follow him. He pushed me in front of him as we crossed the line so I finished just a couple of seconds ahead of Jared with a time of 87:20. I think we both came home the next day more than a little sore!


The next week was National Police Week and there were different activities held every day on base to commemorate the sacrifices that our Security Forces men and women make. I joined Jared for a Police Week ruck march, which is a fast-paced walk or even a slow jog over several miles while carrying 30-50 pounds of gear in a backpack. They do ruck marches monthly on the base here and they're something Jared really enjoys. It's different from running because while speed matters, it's also important to have the back and torso strength to carry the load while you're rucking. This particular day the route was 6.84 miles out and back. I didn't carry a back pack so it wasn't nearly as difficult as it could have been!


In preparation for the other two races we signed up for (both half marathons) I stepped up my running and found some new trails near our house. It's good for me to have a couple of routes at different distances that I know I can turn to when I need to get out and run. It's helps to mix things up to keep from getting bored. This picture was taken on a trail that I found in a forested area near our house. The whole forest has paths like this criss-crossing here and there. I tried to stick to an out and back trail since I wasn't familiar with the area so that I didn't have to think too much about turning left or right. Jared and I have since gone back and run there together but taken a much more twisty, turny route. 

Since early April I've been dealing with pain in my left knee so running has actually gotten progressively harder and more painful for me. In May I could still run but there was a lot of pain so I would have to either run slower or run shorter distances. I finally went to the doctor and have been seeing a physical therapist since mid-June. Right now the answer is no running unless I can run without pain and I pretty much can't. I've run a couple of 5Ks this summer and haven't had too much pain while running as long as I take it easy and don't run downhill, but I pay for it with increased pain for days afterward. Those races I signed up for in January aren't going to be run by me until we can get my knee sorted out. This is the first summer in over five years that I haven't spent a significant portion of my time over the summer running and training for a fall race. It's weird but also really nice 
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