Another Saturday Umstead Run: 10/16



I run the loop portion of the company mill trail



I really wish that I had run last week's 5k like I ran in Umstead today.  I felt really good the entire run.  No problems with my quad or side.  It was just a great run.  My Plantar Fasciites has flared up some, but I am treating it.  The tendons on the bottoms of my feet were a little cranky at the beginning of my run, but by about the 2 mile mark they were feeling alright or I stopped thinking about them, but either way, they didn't hold me back in the slightest.  I just discovered that my I-pod has a stopwatch feature, so I was able to get an accurate time: 42:36, which is not bad for 3.91 miles of up and down trails with some pretty tricky spots.  I am pretty sure that this is the fastest that I have run the company mill loop.  Today's run was one of my most complete efforts ever.  No problems navigating the rocks and roots, and I ran stronger the longer I ran.  Also, I was pushing harder in parts of the trail where I haven't in the past and didn't run any less strong else where.  I had a great personal moment towards the end of my run when I was passing a group of scouts hiking along a flat stretch of the trail just before the finish.  They were cubs scout age and as I went by one group they start yelling to the group in front "watch out for the runner" and "hey, there's a runner coming!"  Not jogger, not a guy walking, but a "runner," and today I felt it: I am a runner.  It is great to finally feel that way!

Each trail has its  own symbol to help you stay on the right trail