What's tougher to finish? The Rocky Racoon 100 mile run at freezing temperatures ( low got to 12, high was 30 )...or the Arkansas Traveller with a steady downpour for the first 60 miles and cold windy conditions for the remaining 40 miles.... or the Montgomery County Triple 11.2 miles. Answer......?????
The weekend didn't pan out the way I had hoped as my version of The Montgomery County Triple was a death march, a DNF and a volunteer assignment. Rick Cook modified my award shaving the center pine cone to represent the DNF.
The first event was the Run thru The Woods 5 miler Thanksgiving morning. I was rocking along pretty good for about the first mile when the area outside of my lower legs, above the ankles, near the shins just cramped up into some very painful knots, charley horse, ????. I could barley walk let alone run. I kept moving and hoped for them to loosen which they did at about 3 miles after two consecutive 16 minute miles. I had caught up with fellow Light The Night committee member Julie Peters and since all hope of any good finish time was gone we strolled in the last two miles together.
The next event in the series was the City of Conroe Turkey Trot 5K Friday morning. I met Jon Walk and Rick Cook at Luke's at 6:45am and we car pooled to the race. The event is a double loop cross country run that is really set up well. Hopefully the word gets out next year and they have a better turnout. My plan, start slow and just get through the event. The race starts and I almost immediately feel the twinges in my lower legs again. I keep a steady pace....actually keying off of Jon as a pacer 50 yards ahead. As I approach 1 mile....wham.... the legs knot up again to the point that standing is painful. I know I would tell my runners to stop....but.....I can't drop from a 5K. I continue to walk and it doesn't loosen up so......not wanting to do damage I packed it in. ( Rick would shave the center pine cone on my Montgomery County award to represent the DNF )
Event three, Run The Woodlands 5K. A few from the Luke's locker half marathon training group met me at 7am at Barbara Bush elementary and I walked them over to Alden Bridge Park to piggy back onto the Team In Training group. I then jogged/walked/stretched for about 30 minutes to see if I could get past the knots/cramps/tightness near my shin. It wasn't feeling right so I went into full slacker mode and took on volunteer status for the 5K, actually scared of two 5K DNF's in two days after having none in my whole life just 24 hours earlier.
Next years goal....most improved.
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