We set out to do a 40 mile run today on the Ohlone trail through the Mission Peak Wilderness near Fremont and all the way to Rose Peak in the east, then back.
The highlights of the run for me was the hundreds of ground squirrels running around and playing. I chased after them screaming gibberish. Also we saw like 15 vultures. I suppose something big died.
Oh and there was a poor lady who sprained her ankle and got carried out by rescuers on a stretcher :(
The other interesting thing was using salt in a ziplock baggie to replenish my electrolytes. I was almost out of Salt Sticks and there was no time to go get more. I kept thinking of all the other products I could use instead. The Nuun tabs that dissolve in water had lots of salt... but Sarah likes them and we were down to two. The Margarita Clif Shot Blocks had a decent dose. But I don't like the gummy-bear like texture while running and they stick to your teeth for a while. The Clif Electrolyte powder had more sugar than salt, and requires washing out the CamelBak bladder. Then finally it hit me... what I really need is SALT! So I filled up the ziplock, threw in a 1/4 teaspoon measure spoon for more precision.. and off we go. It's not as convenient as the capsules, and doesn't replenish other stuff like magnesium, but it worked!
I digress.
The main reason I wanted to write was that I didn't have a particularly great day out on the trails. While my body performed reasonably well with no significant aches or pains (other than a few complains from the shin), I was low energy most of the run and not in particularly great spirits a lot of the time as a result. While there were some good points, a lot of the time I was trudging along. The heat was quite brutal for me today too and at one point I had to stop under an oak and regroup.
Yet when I got home... I realized that this is the best I've felt after a run of this magnitude (and we've now done 4). Nothing hurts, minimal stiffness, no blisters and my feet look great. The realization that I've come such a long way - when on a bad day I can go out, run 40 miles (with 10,000 up and down), come home and feel pretty damn good... well that's something :)
No comments:
Post a Comment