Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Feels so good, feeling good again

I don't know about you, but I tend to be a completely helpless pain in the ass when I'm sick. Some people can power through, getting their to-do list checked off with little to no bitching and moaning. Not this gal. If I'm sick, you're probably gonna know about it. I might even ask you to go fetch me some socks and a Sprite.

I've been pretty lucky this cold and flu season so far. Last week, my number finally came up. I started feeling bad last Monday, and felt pretty crappy for almost a week (which is like a year in whimpy sick-person time). During my whiny and pitiful sick-week, I managed to trudge through a painful and sloooow 32 miles, leaving a nice little snot-trail along the way. After wasting $125 at the doctors office just so he could tell me, "It just has to run its course," and supplying my husband with enough germs for him to also fall victim to the bug, I'm BACK!

Today's run at Pocahontas was a breath of fresh air after a week of BLAH.


Qualla connector, Pocahontas State Park
It was a little drizzly/icy early this morning. I flipped on the news and almost had a panic attack as I saw a few school delays scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Dodged that bullet, school is ON. YES....time for a date with the dirt.

Its pretty funny to see the drastic difference in in the parking lot over at Pocahontas on a pretty day, versus a nasty weather day. If its a nice day, good luck finding somewhere to park. On a cold/ rainy day, you're lucky if you see a squirrel out on the trail, let alone another human. Todays weather provided ample parking and beautiful, fresh, muddy trails.

As I pulled into the lot, I noticed another lone runner gearing up for a trek and we started chatting. Turns out he was supposed to meet up with a running buddy, but his fair-weather partner bailed, leaving him to tackle his 3-hour run solo. Lame. 

Anyway, we ended up hitting the trails together; I was happy to score some company. One of my favorite things about trail runners is the instant kindred-spirit connection we share. I love any opportunity to swap stories and share some miles with someone who loves trail running as much as I do. We spent the next hour talking about races (turns out we've done a bunch of the same ones), laughing about funny shit that happens out on the trail and trading info about our favorite running routes.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/871451755
 
Our trek took us from the Qualla lot down Fendley Station and around Beaver Lake before my new buddy Mike took off for the rest of his long run while I headed back toward the lot to finish up my much shorter route. I finished up on the mountain bike trails near Qualla Road, picking up the pace as I darted through the muddy single-track back to the (still empty) parking lot.

 
With the Holiday Lake 50k coming up this weekend, it felt SO good to feel good today. After a week of running while coughing, snotting and feeling AWFUL all-around, today's easy 5 1/2 miles were amazing.
 
I'm so grateful for my health, for good company and as always, for sweet trails.
 
 
Today's theme song- Robert Earl Keen, Feelin' Good Again


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