I ran a 10k on muddy mountain trails last Saturday. There was a guy running in the rear. Well, running half the time, walking half the time. He looked like he knew what he was doing, but he was slow, labored, very careful. He knew the trail etiquette–stepping aside as packs of faster runners went by. He had mud spatter on his legs, but no smears–which means he was able to navigate the trails without going down. He just kept plodding along. He never stopped, he didn’t seem bothered by all the people passing and the occasional comment overheard: “man, he’s slow”.
In the years past, I ran by a lot of guys like this. The thing that was different was that this time, I was that guy. Partly because I’m out of shape, trying to get back. Partly because this was my first organized run in four years. Partly because I was nursing a sore knee. And mostly because I’m getting older:-). I finished the run with very sore legs, but my knee intact. I was 100th out of 110, posting a time that I refuse to put on this page. My daughter-in-law, who invited me to do the run with her, did very well, and I think she was hooked on forest trail running. I know I am.
Normally I would close a post like this with a specific application. I can think of several, but it occurs to me that you might have some insights I should hear. So, after reading this, let me know what insights I should gain:-).
Thanks for reading.
