Welcome to the trails

Worked 11 hours at MSC

It was a hot and hard day at work. One of the perks I envisioned when I started the new part-time job was the ability to get off work on time. Well, that can’t be further from the truth! A third of the days I work result in me staying late, and I don’t like it one bit. And here’s the worst part, getting off work late is the direct result of several prehistoric inefficiencies. It’s weird to see such a successful business still stuck in the 1980’s.

I digress….

Earlier in the day Jess, a KWFIT runner contacted me on Facebook and asked if I was going to run the trails today. I’ve been slacking myself, so I jumped at the opportunity for some mileage & dirt.  I also asked Jess to post the run on KWFIT’s page, in an attempt to recruit additional runners. Moni immediately jumped on the training run, which was more than I expected on such a short notice.

We ran an easy out-and-back route along the bayou, through the horse trail, to the entrance of River Grove Park, down the power line easement, and we finally turned around at Hamblen Road. Just before meeting the runners I looked at the temperatures, which were still at 104 degrees. It’s not a great idea to run when it’s that hot, but honestly, we don’t have a lot of options in August.

The plan was to run intervals of 0.50 mile run/2:00 minute walk. We did okay for the first mile, but then the heat started kicking our ass. We all felt the toll it was taking on us. A majority of the run we simply ran when we wanted too. The remainder of the time we just enjoyed our walk in the woods.

Considering this was Jess’s first trail run, she did phenomenal! Seriously… the terrain is a lot more taxing than a road or treadmill (obviously), the temperatures were brutal, and she’s recently returning to running after a small hiatus. I was also proud of Moni. She is a speedy little runner, yet she was content to run/walk with us and keep the conversation active. Both of these ladies did a great job!

I’m always happiest when I’m on the trails and it’s even sweeter when I have company!

Run:

1.91 miles

22:21

11:42 pace

Walk:

2.12 miles

40:38

19:10 pace