I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Okay, though nobody reads this and I haven't told anybody about this, I do feel bad that I have not posted an update in days, okay weeks. I was going through a hard time with injuries. I had some aches and pains, a tender knee, problems with my soleus, first on one calf, then the other. I have had tenderness on the tops of my feet and due to all of this, I was seriously considering dropping out of Way Too Cool. Yesterday was the advertised 20 mile Western States training run. I figured that 3 weeks before WTC, this would be a good test of my ability to go 31 miles along trails in the same area. This run kicked my butt all over the place. I got to the first aid station at mile 14 feeling pretty good, thinking I could grind out another 6 miles without causing permanent damage to my body. I then foolishly asked a volunteer at the aid station why the trail markers indicated there was 8 miles to go when this obviously mile 14 of a 20 mile training run. Oh no, Green Gate (our starting point) is mile 78 (of the 100 mile Western States Trail), you still have another 8 miles to go! After leaving the aid station, it seemed like it was uphill for the next 3 miles, though a review of the trail map indicated it wasn't quite that long. Long story short, it took me 6 hours to finish this bad boy. As a 3 time marathon finisher (in well under 6 hours, I might add!), that was somewhat disconcerting, but I did take some solace in the fact that everyone I talked to during the run said that WTC was nowhere near as vertical as the "20" miles this trail covered. A day later I am feeling like I got hit by a truck, but in a good way! Despite a couple of trips over roots and one rolled ankle, I came out unscathed, just aching muscles and a bruised ego. I am going to see if I can do an easy 24 next week-end and if it works out, you'll see me at the starting line for WTC.