I've gone 15 days!

The mileage for those days aren't any big deal, but for ME to say that I've gone 15 days straight of running some amount of distance greater than a mile . . . awesome.

I had started running flats for the first nine days. It's the trail by the Toro Estates. It's one of those ninja trails because it fools you into thinking you're running a level trail.  But you're not! It's a very slight rise in elevation of about 45 feet.  It doesn't sound like much, but I always thought the run back was much easier.  Now I know why.

I started running Manzanita Park Last Wednesday. I'd heard there was a trail there last year but because I was a chicken-shit and didn't want to run it solo at first, I never went.  But I'd been wanting to try another trail for a while. Toro Park is cool and all, but it's kinda out of the way for me. It takes about 20 minutes to get there because I've gotta go through town and there is no straight shot through.

Manzanita Park is on the way home from work. Because I work on a mushroom farm, it was built on an old Foster Farms poultry farm. Because it was a poultry farm, it was built in the middle of Prune-tucky (Prunedale, CA).  Nice hills and valleys to prevent chicken shit (and now mushroom compost) from annoying neighbors.

Manzanita Park is a county park that is used by youth athletic leagues.  They have baseball, softball, soccer and even BMX races there. They have batting cages on-site, too.  And one neat-o running/hiking trail.

This is what I ran last night after work:
http://j.mp/Kws2NW

 
What I did to mark the 4 miler is take my phone with me to and used the Runmeter app to log the run. As I reached the 2-mile mark I was looking for a landmark I could use. When I did get to the 2nd mile, there was a convenient lone tree off to the side to use as a landmark and headed back the way I came.  I could complete the loop for an under 3 mile run, but for this week I'm going to attempt to keep with the 4-miler.

My legs were bugging me, but I think it was because the shoes I was wearing. They're fine for the "shorter" run, but I was getting beat up and it was because I couldn't get comfortable in my shoes.  They're relatively new and on flats, they're fine. But with this more challenging trail, my feet need to be free!  I'll be using my VFF Bikilas today and from now on for Manzanita.

I'll tell you what though, after my first couple of runs there, my calves were aching! They haven't ached like that since I began running in minimalist shoes. The funny thing is that while I'm churning through the trail, I'm hating life and wondering what the hell I'm doing when I could be at home enjoying a beer. But after the run . . . SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER . . . I'm so glad I did it. It's not really about the accomplishment, it's more like the stinkin endorphins have finally kicked in!

Why the hell couldn't they kick in while running!

GD

p.s.
too pissed to check. run smiley :)