My First 2 Mile Run = 6.5 Miles!

Saturday morning was the day I had slated in my training for my first two-mile run. This was a pretty big deal for me, because it meant I would actually have two full “splits,” ha ha! I like to do my runs early, and I thought I might get up and do it at 7am before DS#2’s 11am t-ball game, but it didn’t happen. Friday night was just rough on several levels, and I think the truth of the matter is that starting a running program at the same time that my life is over-extended with my kids’ sports schedules may not have been the best idea. *eyeroll* I finally recognized just how tired I was on Friday night, so I slept in until 9am on Saturday (oh the shame!!) and then enjoyed my coffee before the game.

Speaking of the game, I can’t leave that topic without sharing just a couple of pics. DS#2 was so adorable at his first t-ball game. He approached it with the same enthusiasm with which he approaches everything, and it was fun to watch.

After the game, I initially though I would run two miles up and down the road and then get right to weeding the front landscaping (which looks atrocious). But then I decided that I would do something different for this big milestone. Slim Katie had mentioned to me during our photo shoot how much she enjoys running at parks and other places away from her house, because it was so much more interesting, and I decided that I would give that a try.

There is a particular bike/hike trail I have been wanting to try for some time.  It is in one of our local metroparks, and it actually goes right underneath the freeway that I use to I drive to and from work every day.  I have seen it for years, and it has always been kind of like a “forbidden” mystery to me.  Every time I drive by, I can’t help but wonder, “What does it look like under there? How does it feel to be under a freeway but not on a real road? Are there trolls under there that give out magic treats?”  Okay, maybe I was getting a bit carried away, but I can’t deny I have always longed to solve the “mystery” of the “under the freeway” trail.  So last Saturday, that’s exactly what I decided to do!

Because it was new and I was unsure how far I’d need to run to get to two miles, I decided I’d try out the “course” feature of my Garmin.  It was kind of neat to set up a run beforehand, but it was also very tricky and kind of time-consuming, because I had to track it curve by curve.  Actually, I might even say it was a pain in the *ss. :p  But I did it, and I discovered, unfortunately, that I could not get to the freeway underpass using an “out and back” route.  I had to run almost the full two miles of the route just to get to the freeway, but I decided that a 2 mile cool-down walk wouldn’t be so bad.  Ha, famous last words…

As I drove to the course, I thought about my water situation. I was not about to run with a water bottle, so I knew I needed to somehow get a water bottle to my course’s end.  point. There was no way for me to drive my car to a spot near the end of the route I’d mapped…unless…

{insert lightbulb smilie here}

In a fit of stupidity brilliance, I decided to stop on the side of the freeway near the spot where it goes over the trail (and river), and then drop a bottle of water at that point.  It was trickier than I imagined, since I couldn’t park right on the bridge and therefore had to park farther down and hike a bit to get to a spot where I could throw the bottle, but I did it! I’m sure the drivers on the freeway were wondering what on earth I was doing, but who cares, really? I was on a mission!

Then I went to the metropark, thinking I would park at the entrance, which is where I had my course starting.  Ha.  Turns out you have to go more than a half-mile into the park before you can find a place to park.  So, that meant I walked half a mile before I even got to my run. Sigh.

Finally, as I got close to my selected starting point, I brought up the course on my Garmin. I was so totally confused by it…it seemed to want me to start where I was, but I knew my starting point was right at the road.  But, because I’m a lemming, I started running because the Garmin said so!

I ran for a while, enjoying the scenery on a beautiful day, and then I looked at the Garmin. And was I ever confused! It was telling me that I still had 2 miles to go?! Huh?! I scrolled through some options but still didn’t get it, so I just kept running, hoping I would find my stop point easily.

The run was actually pretty good…it was in the lower 70s, and the sun came out as I was running, so it was great weather.  Almost a bit hot, even!  (Too bad I forgot sunscreen…) The views were amazing compared to what I’ve been seeing on my road.

Eventually, I went under the “forbidden” bridge, and guess what? It wasn’t that exciting. :p It was actually kind of yucky, dark, and honestly, a bit freaky. 😮 I found myself thinking that I would never be running there in the early morning, and I would probably need to invest in some pepper spray no matter what time of day I was there.  But, I’m glad I did it, because now that’s one “forbidden fruit” conquered. 😉

There was a very pretty bridge on the path over the river, and once I got on the other side of it, I knew I was getting close to my stop point.  I finally figured out how to see my actual progress, and I was actually a little beyond 2 miles! LOL! I stopped at that point and took a breath, feeling incredibly accomplished and happy.  Yay me! I ran two miles! (Technically, 2.13 miles, lol!) I saw a girl walking her dog and asked her to take a picture of me with my phone for posterity.

Ugh, don’t I look hot and sweaty? 😉 After that, I headed back to the freeway underpass just a short distance back, and guess what was there?

I tell you what, it may have seemed like a stupid idea when I did it, but I was never so happy to see a bottle of water in my life as I was at that moment!

I then walked back at a moderate pace, really enjoying the scenery, but it was at that point that that I discovered a downside to running in the park:  the view was so pretty, I found myself bummed that I hadn’t brought my good camera to take pictures.  Well, anyone who knows me knows that I wasn’t going to let those pictures go by, and sure enough, after walking back to my car, I grabbed my camera and went back to take them.

Luckily, I found spots to park near most of them, so that I didn’t have to walk too far.  But, there was one in particular that called to me that I knew I’d have to walk for: when I was on my run, I was passed by a family of 3 on bikes, including a girl about 7 or 8 years old. They stopped at one point to rest on a bench, and I caught up to them just as they were leaving. I saw a little bouquet of dandelions on the bench and knew that the little girl had picked them.  I knew I had to get the shot, but as it turned out, even from the closest parking spot, it was a 1.5 mile roundtrip walk to get it!  But I think it was worth it. 🙂

I was exhausted by the time I took these photos, and at this point, I just could not drag myself any farther. So, the picture of “the forbidden bridge” will have to wait until the next time I run this course.  😉

When I got back to my car, I added it all up (having used my Garmin to track my running and walking), and it turns out I had run 2.13 miles, and had walked almost 4.5 miles! Dude, I earned some serious Weight Watcher activity points that afternoon. 🙂  Enough to allow me to eat (and drink!) all kinds of delectable things at the monthly Wine Club meeting that night (known as Winers).  It was a “cooking with wine” theme, so there was plenty to choose from.

I also got to hang out with two of my favorite “running friends” and talk about our training programs.

Though mine is a much shorter program than theirs, it was still fun to talk about running with them and compare experiences.

One last thing thing before I end…when I got back to my car from my run, there was an older man parked next to me.  When he saw me he asked, “Are you a mushroom hunter?”  I was really taken aback by this question, and my first inclination was to respond, “Are you a mushroom smoker?” But I refrained. 😉  Instead I just shrugged and said, “No, I’m just a runner,” before quickly getting into my car (I’m not ashamed to say he frightened me a little bit!).  It wasn’t until I was driving away that I thought, “Well, there you go…I guess I am a runner.”

And that’s kind of a neat thing. 🙂

Thank you for reading!