Shredded Meat

Can you guess how my run went this evening (the title kinda gives it away)? What’s that you say? Horribly? Nah, not quite that bad, but I did push myself hard. Maybe a little too hard because my calves feel as though they were put through a meat grinder, hence the title: Shredded Meat.

I had good intentions last evening after work. Go for a run and then home in time to have my favorite Thai food for a late supper (Paul was picking it up). Well, that didn’t go quite as planned, which is to be expected, given the nature of the job I do. We ended up getting a 911 call and after leaving work an hour later than I should have, I went home to have supper instead; I was famished!! At that point I hadn’t eaten in several hours, so food was first and foremost on my mind.

Fast-forward to today, Hump Day for those who work Mon-Fri or attend school. It was a beautiful day, mostly cloudy with occasional sunshine peeking out. I had cleaning and laundry to do, as well as a few errands to take care of. After that was done, it was suppertime, so my running time was pushed until a little later in the day, more like early evening. Had to make sure my supper wasn’t going to cause any problems (later during the run) before going out. I wanted none of those nasty little stitches in MY sides!

This evening, I wanted to try a new trail to change the scenery, since I find it so refreshing and it keeps boredom at bay. Technically though, tonight’s trail was not new to me as I have walked it several times in the past, but had never tried running along it. Parking over by the ball fields, I got out, stretching a little to warm up, set up my running tunes and off I went, thinking “Am I ever going to feel this later!” These thoughts were rampant in my mind because this trail presented a few steep hills (challenging to me as I’m not “there” yet) and I just knew my calves weren’t going to let me off the hook so easily. And, was I ever right on that one! They did nothing but complain continually after the first hill! They burned so bad and felt shredded, I didn’t think I could go on, having barely commenced my run, but then something in me ignited and my fires of inspiration, desire and passion for running fully engulfed my consciousness, propelling me forward. My pace suffered greatly tonight, I admit that, but in all reality I was so focused on just completing the entire looping trail, I never gave it much thought.

The iPhone app, Nike+GPS, joined me as always, but I didn’t set any time or distance goals, seeing as I wasn’t sure of the distance of the trail and I didn’t want the “pressure” of completing the set goal tonight. I just wanted to run and did I ever try! Slowing many times along the ups and downs of the dusty trail contributed to my overall pace being slower than usual. On the flip side, however, I jogged the majority of 6.17Km at a pace of 8’36″/km with a total time of 53min 8sec; not too terrible for all the hills and my screaming calves. The funny thing was, I was so focused on my stride, foot strike, posture, breathing, the music, scenery, surroundings and attempting to run through the burn, I barely kept track of how many times I actually slowed the pace to give my legs a break. I know it was quite a many times, but never for more than a minute before I bumped up to a light jog again.

My intention was to complete the loop and go all the way from the bridge-side of trail to the causeway/traffic circle end and back to the bridge. However, due to the fact that I only began the trek at almost 19:30, I didn’t make it all the way to the causeway as the sun was beginning its descent to the horizon and daylight would start to fade soon afterwards, so the decision was made to turn around when I was approximately 3.2km in. The other downside is that the trail is unlit and tricky in some spots, a great combo for stumbling and tripping in the dark.

The trail is actually on top of an old (and I’m talking many years) landfill site (I know, GROSS) that was covered over and “beautified”, if you can visualize that. It’s really not a bad place at all, just ignore the occasional odor wafting by (which might be from the muddy riverbanks) lol. In all seriousness though, the trail was quiet, despite the music in my ears, with the occasional sound of a few birds, distant cars and the water rushing through the open causeway gates (yes, I stopped to listen, during the couple times I actually paused my workout and stopped to take a few pics). The air was fresh, cool, devoid of the exhaust from distant traffic. I even watched a plane overhead, ascending into the twilit sky, oblivious to everything below it. I wondered, briefly, where they might be going, then picked up the pace and continued on to my destination, again stopping for a minute or two to take a pic of the bridge that spans a stream of water leading to the Petitcodiac River (more affectionately known by locals as “The Chocolate River”). After the trail bridge, it was back under the road bridge to get to the parking lot and ball fields. Some kids had graffiti-ed the underside of this road bridge, but it added color to its belly, making for a decent picture. I don’t mind tasteful graffiti.

I made it back to my truck but not before a voice-over from Nike+ told me that I was nearing a distance record and I should “tap now for a power song” which I did. I needed that upbeat tune to keep jogging to the truck. Was I ever happy to see that parking lot and the truck, stopping briefly to stretch before getting in and heading home. I can’t wait until my calves feel up for this run again, I enjoyed the trail that much. I’m thinking tomorrow I may need to rest them, but then again, you never know. As the old saying goes: “No pain, no gain” but if it becomes too much, then I’ll have to rest. Simple as that. And as much as my pace suffered tonight, I’m proud of myself for “going the distance” and trying to better my posture and foot strike positioning, not to mention tackling those hills!

I’m contentedly exhausted so I’m going to go for now, night all! Enjoy the pics which I’ve added to this post.