The March - 5K

The forecast all week has been rain, rain, rain, so it was no surprise that it was raining this morning. I don't mind running in it though, so it didn't bother me one bit. Apparently not everyone feels the same way, because there were a bunch of people that didn't race because of it.

I had mixed emotions about this race. On one hand, this is the course that I PR'd on last time I ran it. On the other hand, I seriously bombed the last 5K I raced. I didn't know if I should be hopeful or not. It is an out and back, on a country road overlooking mostly farmland. It was really neat today with a layer of fog on the rolling hills. I got a chuckle as I ran by a cow field, and they mooed at me like they recognized me as one of their own :) This happened on both of my trips by, once right when the leader was passing my on his way back. (He ended up finishing in 14:33. holy crap)

Anyway, I forgot my garmin, so I didn't have any gadgets to play with. I just ran without any concept of how fast, slow, far, good, bad, etc I was doing. I don't think I've ever raced without it, so it was a strange feeling. I kept thinking about my last race and how I just wanted to beat that time.

Well, I ended up coming in 6 minutes ahead of my last race and it really boosted my confidence for next week's race in Alabama. I also won 3rd in my age group. Granted, there weren't many people there, but who cares? I got up early, and ran my butt off in the rain. I'll take the medal :)

angel falls overlook

it was an awesome day for a hike. about 55 and sunny. we have never been to the big south fork, so we decided to try a hike up there. i picked it out, and we headed out as soon as greg got home from work. it took about 1.5 hours to get to the trailhead, which is a little less than getting to the smokies. it was a great park, with a lot less people.

the trail was mostly flat for about 2 miles, and followed the river. the water is high, so it was gorgeous. we came to the end of the line, and ended up taking a side trail that was NOT part of the trail that we were supposed to be on. all in all, i think we went about half, to a mile out of our way. oh well. we found the correct trail again, and started the "climb" portion. about a mile of decent uphill. when you are coming up the trail, you see the bluffs that you know you are going to have to climb, and it's a little intimidating, but you actually climb up the backside, so it's not so bad. the view from the top was great. you get a full view of the river that you hiked along most of the way. it is an out and back trail, so you get to see the same scenery on the way back. the return trip went much faster as it was downhill, and we knew where we were going.

i'm totally worn out and starving, so i know it was a good day. all in all, i think we went about 7 miles with our little "side trip". great hike though, and i'd like to see it again when the trees are green.

let's try this again

well, i'm kind of disappointed that i let my blog go so long without posting. it's not surprising though, as i haven't really been running, so there wasn't a whole lot to talk about. i go to work. go to school. do homework. sleep. now i run again too. i've been dragging my butt out of bed at 5:30 and running. it feels good to be doing it again. even if i'm heavier than i would like, and it's harder than i remember it being last time i did it. i'm having some foot issues too, so i hope that doesn't become a big problem. all in all, i'm feeling hopeful again.

i have something to look forward to. i signed up for a local 5K on march 28th, and another the weekend after in birmingham, al. i'm finally getting to meet up with one of my running buddies and do a race together. she claims to be as slow as me, so it should be fun to have some company that i don't have to chase. after the race, we are getting cleaned up and going to see the broadway musical, wicked. i've been wanting to see it for a long time, so i can't wait.

even though my running was practically nonexistent, i have been doing some hiking. this is the best time of year to get outside in tennessee, before it gets blazing hot and the ticks come out. we hiked to northrup falls a couple of times in the last month. and last weekend did part of the chimney tops trail in the smokies. we didn't make the summit because there was too much ice on the trail. who would have thought that crampons would be useful in the south?

anyway, i'm back at it and thought i would write it down to make it official. :)