5K at Last!!

I made it through my 3.1 mile run, well wog (walk/jog), on Saturday morning even though the 1.6 mile trail was like an obstacle course.

The first obstacle was a huge tree that had crashed down on the path, forcing me to run through dew soaked grass.  There had been a microburst in U town a week ago that did quite a bit of damage.  I guess the park is on the end of the clean up list.

Next up was the water sprinkler feature.  There were about six heavy duty sprinklers that were blasting the trail.  One of them had created a lovely mud hole that was impossible to miss.  I was forced to run through it because of a fence on one side and a grove of trees on the other.  My shoes are still muddy.

Finally, there was another tree felled by the storm.  This one was huge, yet suspended about 4 feet above the ground.  I had to duck under it to follow the path through the woods.  I guess this added interest to my run.

I didn't time myself.  I don't want to know.  I was lapped many times by some college age girl who sprinted the trail like it was a 100 yard dash.  However, I was also lapped by a 60-70 year old guy who couldn't possibly be classified as a fast runner.  I don't think any walkers lapped me!  *sigh*

I did discover that I don't like running in daylight.  I like running in the dark where I can't see as well!  As I began my run in daylight, I wasn't sure I could even make one lap on the trail.  (The first 50 yards almost did me in!)  One side effect of the stroke was that my perception was all messed up.  When I walked or moved, it seemed like the world was moving, too.  Needless to say, walking was jerky and awkward--somewhat like trying to walk on a moving ship.  I looked like a newborn colt trying to walk.

They didn't prescribe physical therapy of any kind, so I had to adapt on my own.  After a lot of walking, I didn't notice the movement any more.  The same thing happened with biking, though that was a bit scarier. (My feet weren't on the ground!!)  Again, I made myself get used to it by biking a lot. 

And now, here I go again.  I'm going to have to do more running during daylight hours.  I need to get over that sick feeling of the earth moving while I'm moving.  Of course, that means finding daylight hours to run-- not an easy task.  I prefer running at 5:00 in the morning:  it is cooler, the streets are empty, and I almost never have anything else scheduled at that time! 

Just when I think my self-initiated rehab is over, here we go again!  Lovely, just lovely!