A Race And An Accidental 60 Miles

Last Sunday I did the McDonald Forest 15k. When I got home after the race, I sat down to blog but I just didn't have a Race Report in me. It was a 15k, not an ultra; I barely felt like I had even raced, it was so short! And even with a serious climb covering over two and a half miles, it seems pretty lame to claim, "I ran the entire thing." By virtue of turning 35 a few weeks ago and cushy 5-year age groups, I came home with a nice blue ceramic mug for my 71 minutes of effort, while the 3rd and 4th place ladies went home empty handed. Sorry ladies, but you've gotta respect your elders! I am happy to report that I did NOT get beaten by a 13 year old, as I had Bend phenom Piper McDonald hot on my heels in 6th place. I was also comfortably ahead of my hubby's 15k road PR (1:19). Hey, a girl has gotta have goals, you know! But most importantly, the race swept all of those cobwebs from my muscles, the ones that have been growing over the last month while "recovery" has kept me from dusting off my sinews. After the race I felt GOOD, which set me up nicely for an "accidental" 60 miles this week.

I arbitrarily set Nov. 15th as the date to get back into "training;" until then I am only running "socially." But this week I was quite a social butterfly! I ran with my peeps on Tuesday and Thursday morning (10 miles each morning), did Wednesday night with the running store crowd, and kept a friend from blowing off her run Friday night. But the real fun came on the weekend. On Saturday, I donned my Halloween finest for a fast 16 miles through Minto-Brown. A couple of other runners were wearing orange, but overall everyone was dressed like it was just another day in the park. What the hell, people? Why would you not want to run around Salem dressed as a fairy princess?? I am utterly baffled!

"Halloween finest" = clothing scavenged from my 4 year old's dress-up box!

And then today I joined the Corvallis trail runners on a glorious fall day for some leaf-kicking and mud-stomping back in McDonald Forest.

Who could pass up a run on a day like today??

So the cobwebs may be gone, but they've been replaced by general achiness. Mostly to be expected after four weeks all below 40 mpw, but my ankles (now both, not just the right) are still bugging me some. I am hoping that it is nothing a few 75 mile weeks won't cure. ;)