It was a week later after the Trail Gods had given me the green light to run. I had chosen a
municipal park that had a great walking and running path that circled around
the soccer and lacrosse fields. It was
completely flat and about a mile and three quarters in distance. It is not a favorite running route, but it is
good for when you are coming back from an injury because it is easy on the legs
and as I said, completely flat. Even
though it was early May, the weather was not ideal. It was very cold and there
were some snowflakes drifting around.
When I got to the park, I had on my cold weather gear including a knit
hat because it was not only cold, but very windy.
I got out of the car and waited for the GPS on my watch to start which sometimes
takes a while. I was very nervous
though. I was not sure I was ready yet,
and the cold windy weather did not help my mood either. The watch dinged. It
was ready and so I guess so was I. I
started at a slow steady pace, about 3/4 of my normal pace. I felt a little
awkward as my breathing was a bit labored, and I felt a bit stiff. That however, is how I always start for about
a mile or so before I settle into a rhythm.
After a mile, I felt better but the wind was howling and if there is one
weather thing that annoys me, it is strong winds. On this route half the time, I would be running against the wind as well. “Very apropos” I thought. “Running against
the wind”, feels like I have been doing that for a month now.
I had signed up for a virtual 5K and actually completed a
little over four miles when I called it a day.
I felt good but frankly I knew that I was not right. That night I even felt a slight tightness in
my chest, the same tightness I had felt when I had COVID-19.
The next morning was a totally different day in so many
respects. Firstly, the weather was
dramatically warmer. Even in the morning
it was sunny and over fifty degrees. I
only had to run in shorts and a t-shirt, which having run bundled up the day
before, felt so light and free. I
eschewed the municipal park and went to my usual county park in which I always
ran. Though this time I would traverse
the flatter trails and avoid the steeper climbs. Not sure if it was the warmer weather, the
great feeling of having just a shorts and a t-shirt on, or being back on my old
running route after one long month, but I felt much better than I did the day
before. My stride felt good and my breathing was easy. As I circled a lake, I
saw some women staring into the trees and saw what they saw, a Scarlett
Tanager. It was beautiful. A message from the Trail Gods.
I continued on, and on one small descent, my feet felt light
and I was gracefully floating over the rocks in the path like I used too. I came to a fork in the path at mile three. My
original plan was to bear right to avoid
the longer distance as well as the climb but I veered left for the climb and
the distance. I was feeling great. I ended up doing 4.5 miles and I know I could
have done more but I was still taking my return to fitness slow and steady.
The following Wednesday early in the morning, before 7AM, I
decided to run that same trail again.
There were very few people in the park and I felt great. As I circled
the lake again, I once again saw the Scarlett Tanager. Though this time it was
on the opposite side of the lake. I
stopped to take him in. After all, gifts from the Trail Gods should not be ignored.
I was running easy and free, breathing was steady, and I did not want to
stop but I had to work that day. When I
returned to my car in the parking lot and stopped, I felt it! That high you get after a good workout or
run. It is the feeling that makes you
get up and run even on bad weather days.
It is also a sign of fitness. That weekend I extended my runs to seven
miles on both days.
Early on the next Friday morning I decided to take another
trail run, but this time to Pyramid Mountain County Park, the same place the Trail Gods had spoken to me and I had
seen the trail runner. It was a warm day
and once again the park was nearly empty this early. It was an enjoyable run. So enjoyable, that I
decided to add a short loop to my run to see one of the parks most visited
landmarks, Tripod Rock. It is a large
multi-ton boulder perched on three smaller rocks. I always like to take it in
because it is fascinating to look at, and might be the single reason this park
was originally preserved. I
used to hike this park before it was officially a park and the only trails
pretty much lead to it. After the core
of the park was preserved, then additional adjoining lands, such as Turkey
Mountain and Kincaid Woods, were added, to make one fabulous park.
I was running free and was surprised that I was almost back
to the parking lot. I was thinking about
Tripod Rock and the mystery of it. There
are two schools of thought on it. One
that it was the work of Native American and the other that it is a remnant
glacial motion. I however know the real
story. It is the work of the Trail Gods. They are always
communicating with us, we just have to listen more. Take it from me.
