First Long Run Post-Surgery - Trailrunning with Friends

After sinus surgery January 5, I was cleared to start easy running again Thursday, January 12. So 4 miles that Thursday with a walk/run with Alicia, 5 miles Saturday again walk/running with Alicia, and then decided to join dear frunner girls Alicia, Catherine, and Fiona on a trail run Sunday at Brockdale Park by Lake Lavon - a new location for me.

Picture by Alicia. Out on the trails with my frunner girls!

I was told it was 5 miles south to the dead-end at the next park, and I thought I probably wasn't up for 10 miles roundtrip. But I would see how I felt and do what I could. I could always turn around and walk back so the girls would catch me when they came back running.

This trail is heavily traveled by horseback riders. And with rain early the previous week, the trail had turned into soft deep black clay. And then cover it completely in the pockmarks of 8 inch deep sunk-in hoofmarks. I passed some riders late in the run and asked them about the trail, and they said it's NEVER that bad. Yippee. Welcome to Lake Lavon.

See all the divots!

It was an ankle-turning nightmare of a trail. Welcome back to running too!!! We all managed to get through in good health.

Divot closeup

I actually felt really good, never felt like I really pushed too hard. At 5.07 miles on the Garmin, we weren't at the southernmost park yet. I was nervous about how far I'd gone and how much further it would be, so I said I would turn back and probably be walking a lot of it, so they would catch me soon anyway.

I still felt great on the return trip. All my complaining that I thought it was uphill most of the way on the out portion came true, I wasn't hallucinating, because I was able to try to ride some of the gentle downhill. I had run 1 hour, 19 minutes on the "out" portion of the course and decided it would be cool to negative split the "back" portion. Of course, feeling chased, as I tried to stay ahead of the girls - I didn't want them to have to wait for me by passing me on the way back - that didn't hurt my determination and pace either. So I took less walk breaks than I expected. I finished 4 minutes faster than the out at 1 hour, 15 minutes. And I beat the girls back by a few minutes - that park ended up being another 0.15 or so further from where I'd turned around.

Beautiful view! Beautiful day!

So my third run back was a 10 mile trail run in harsh terrain for 2 1/2 hours. I hope my return to running continues to go this smooth, but we will see! You take it day by day, and you never take an active day for granted!