Trail Running, Hitch Hiking and Caramel Apples

The title of this blog truly explains my past weekend. It had been raining all week and I was struggling to decided if I wanted to run my first Trail Race on Saturday. I had several options: I could run a 5k, 10k, 10 miler, or a mini marathon. In the end I settled on the 10k (just over six miles) but I wasn't enthused about the possibility of running in the mud or rain.

Ryan motivated me to get ready and once I was registered I started the trail 30 minutes after the pack. At first I was scared to be running by myself in the woods with no map, no friends, and no watch, but after awhile it felt peaceful and exciting at the same time. So I just forgot about my fears of some woodland hippi jumping out of the trees and attacking me and allowed the rhythm of my feet to carry me away.

It wasn't long until I hit a fork in the trail. Here is where the panicking begins: I didn't know which way to go!!!! So I chose the right and hoped for the best, but as the trail became more rugged, covered in logs, tire treads, then meadows, and finally no more trail I began to freak!!!! I didn't know how long I had been running, where I was, or what to do...so as I stopped to assess the situation I heard a rushing sound of a car. I squinted and through the trees I could see a road...YAY!!

I ran down to the road, then ran to an intersection and not knowing where to go from there I flagged down the first "safe" driver I could find. She was what seemed to be a nice older woman. She informed me that I was about 3 miles from the state park I was supposed to be running in. YIKES!!! She agreed to take me back up to the trail and as she was driving I thanked God for protecting me. On the way, we saw a sign reading "Runners Crossing." So I got out there, met with the station volunteers, told them about my adventure and that I would be running the rest of the race from that point. They informed me that I was at the 3 mile mark for the ten miler. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. And when I had looked at the map I realized that I had already run four miles! So I did what any crazy runner would do...I ran another 7 miles. In all I ran 11 miles with an average millage pace of 9.5 minutes. Overall it was a hilly trail, a cool day, and a wonderful adventure.

After the race I filled up on the snack they provided: doughnuts, cider, hot soup, and fruit!!! Ryan and I then walked for a bit through the woods and then headed for Musgrave Orchards for some fall treats. The caramel apples were delicious after my run and I cannot seriously remember the last time I had a candied apple. We purchased some Winesap apples for pie and cider for cold nights. What a great weekend.