When I arrived at the Scuppernong trailhead at 8am I felt late. The one hour drive had been so peaceful and all of Eagle had seemed to still be asleep. So when I saw at least 12 cars parked in the lot, I felt a bit behind the pack. And the pack was nowhere to be seen. Five miles of winding hills and the only trekkers I came across were 2 ladies on a leisurely hike. As I passed them I thought to myself how ridiculous I must have looked; wearing FiveFingers and a running skirt, my iPhone strapped to my arm, sporting a CamelBack and flashy Buffwear, dog at my side… I definitely had a gear junky thing going. But I didn’t care.
Miles one through two took me, or so it seemed, nothing but up, straight up, on rocky rutted terrain. Hill…. level.. hill… level.. hill… Oh my God, what was I thinking, I will never be ready for this! I stubbed my toe, for the first time ever in FiveFingers, on a root. My whole foot tingled and my head buzzed. I wanted to cry. WHAT was I thinking? I can’t run 13.1 in THESE!!
Miles two and three, thank God, were fairly rolling, mostly dirt trails with low vegetation, some sand, some pine needles, some chips… Ahhh… My left hip felt tight, I took some time to lunge and kick; loosen up a bit. That didn’t last long. Thank you mosquitoes.
Mile four started me up another monster. I was ready. I leaned forward, sucked in, and focused on my quads pulling me up like a machine… my legs were powerhouses. I felt like a steam engine. I didn’t slow, I didn’t stop, I just kept pushing, steady, and up. And I made it. I felt amazing. Invincible. I let out a loud WHOOOOO that echoed in the silent woods. Then I stopped dead. I had to – or I would have lost my breakfast. And I nearly did – like five times. But it was great. A minute or two later I was running again, downhill, thank God, picking up speed and trying hard to keep my eyes ahead of my feet on the rocky rutted slopes.
Mile five ended the loop.
Enter mosquitoes, flies, and more mosquitoes. I tied the dog to a picnic table and did some hip yoga as I watched an obvious trail runner (huge massive thighs) doing sprints on the pavement. Talk about powerhouses. His bumper sticker said 13.1. I felt some camaraderie, though he didn’t seem to notice me. But amen, my hair was soaked and I had bug guts all over my shiny body. Practicing yoga with one arm swatting mosquitoes is a whole new kind of yoga. Extra core work, I think.
What a morning. What an awesome place. I cannot believe I live so close and ran these trails for the first time last Sunday. I’ve come a long way. From not being able to run two miles on flat roads to being able to run five miles of intense trails in FiveFingers without knee or calf pain. Not yet enough for race day, but, if this is all I can ever do, I will be okay with that!
It is 29 days and counting until my personal registration deadline for the Midwest Regional TNF Endurance Challenge in Eagle.
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Tags: FiveFingers, half marathon, nature, Running, trail running, VFF, yoga
We have the same VFFs! I ran a half in VFFs back in April. Although it was all flat.
http://roseassophie.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/run-for-the-health-of-it-half-marathon-report/
I think if you are able to run this far in VFFs now that you should be able to do the half when it comes. Just increase your distance the same way you would with ‘conventional’ shoes. Good Luck
I always end up with the white clovers.
Very cool. Thanks!
The stronger we get the better running gets that’s for sure!
I have a very similar experience. I love my legs and think they are amazing. They get me through the toughest trails. I like going when all the bugs are out because if I stop for a rest they attack me which makes me run again! Keep running and good luck in your race. My first endurance ultra race is in two weeks!
Awesome! Good luck to you too!