trail training

So I’ve been convinced to get back into running.  I ran alot in college and had built quite the stamina and endurance….well that’s all gone to hell in a handbasket nowadays.

Yesterday was my big day to begin training.  I got all geared up, had my IPod on my arm (rocking to some sweet 80′s tunes), hair braided, headband in, etc…I was lookin the part.  I headed out to Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, they have a great trail out there that marks each .10th of a mile for you.  I start out on my 3.6 run, and i’m doin good.  I finish my first mile around the 9 minute mark…and I’m thinkin I’m amazing.  Then I get to the up-hill portion of my run.  Death.  My “amazing” pace started to dwindle untill I come face to face with my biggest fear EVER.  A deer.  It literally stopped me dead in my tracks.  I looked around for someone to help and noone was around.  I chose to stand extremely still and wait til the rest of my group caught up to me (yeah that’s right, at this point i was still leading the run).  Luckily when they came up the path it scared the psycho deer away and i could start to breathe again.  After all of this we came to the end of the 3.6 and I was ablaze.  I quickly realized that the pace i started out with had been quite ambitious.

Nevertheless, it was great to get back out there.  I’m going to be competing in a 5K in a few weeks and a half marathon a little further down the road.