Monday, January 4, 2010

the fall(s) of tour de wolfe


a few days before christmas, luna and i went for a 6 miler on the tour de wolf. see previous post for a full description of its awesomeness.

this post is about the things i need to get used to if i want to be an ultra runner. lets go over my run in detail.

Mile zero- the beginning. Luna and i start off down the only paved portion of the run. probably about the length of a football field. we are running, luna is obviousuly excited, but being pretty good. im watching her enjoy herself when BAM. i trip over a sneaky speed bump and go a-tumbling over. see battle wounds for proof.


so that was a great way to start our run. i sat on the ground for about 30 seconds, wallowing in self pity and embarrassment (there was definitely a couple who saw my spill- they wore matching jeans suits with mullets and rocking sunglasses). then i thought to myself, self, if you are going to be an ultra runner, you have to be a little tougher.

thus, onward. i got up and kept running. luna was not even phased by my spill. she was enjoying the newness of everything, sniffing everywhere, running through mud puddles, looking back at me, and then around mile 1 1/4- BAM! yes folks, i fell again. this one was in dirt and leaves. so i got a little dirty. again i thought to myself, self, you have to get dirty if you are going to be an ultra runner.

thus, onward. luna and i continue- out of the woods, down the hill and onto the open lane. up the hill of grassness, through the dog park, past the dog pond, and back into the woods. we make it to mile 2 3/4 when BAM! yes, a third fall. at this point, im a pro. and i dont even need a conversation with myself to get up. HOWEVER- i did tell luna that we probably shouldn't fall anymore. she agreed.

thus, onward. we keep going through the woods. after this third fall, things really started to go well. luna and i were running like one person. it was like she could sense which way i wanted to go around trees or at splits. She led the way at times- mostly because her four legs are much more coordinated than my two. as proved by the previous 3 falls. i could go off on a long tangent about how beautiful she looked as she travelled the landscape, but you people would get bored with that. bottom line- i was in awe of my dog's grace and nimble-ness. (side note- she is currently snoring on ellen's lap.bahaha). we continue to run, enjoying each other's rhythm when BAM!

ha just kidding- no fall this time, but there was an ugly wolfy dog waiting for us around the bend of a trail. luna and i just pranced around his ugly butt and kept on going.

this really was a nice run for the two of us. Around miles 4 and 5 there are two different open fields of grass that are more secluded than the beginning of the run. at these points i let go of luna's leash and let her run free. when i would let go, she would look back at me as if to say, "are you sure mommy?" it was precious. most of the time she just jack rabbit leaped around until i called her name to come back to me.

her favorite part was definitely the mud puddles. i have proof below.

See the muddy belly? multiple mud puddles of fun.


Happy muddy girl. Isn't she majestic?


My muddy shoes after the run. I know this picture is upside down. deal with it. Y'all get the idea here. It was muddy.

My muddy spandex after the run. This picture makes my knees look like i stuffed donuts in my pants. Oh well. Maybe thats a sign of being awesome.

In conclusion- something to ponder. I fell 3 times during my six mile run. If those statistics keep up for my ultra run (50 miles)- i will fall 25 times during those 50 miles. Not sure how i feel about that.

Next post: New Years Resolutions (for luna and for me) and an excuse for my lack of blog-tasticness.

ultra love

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