Saturday's First Trail Run

We met at the Tennessee Valley Trailhead at 8am. The road deadends into a parking lot and from there it's two miles out the ocean. And it's gorgeous. We had good weather, a bit brisk, and I saw a hawk, some deer, horses in an enclosure, and plenty of crows. Water riverlets gurgled along side the trail and sometimes crossed it.

I didn't know how I'd feel about more jogging after Thursday's miserable workout at the track. But I learned something -- I love being outdoors in nature to walk, especially with water nearby. To start, I walked moderately, knowing I had to warm up. I knew and told myself I was ok with being at the back of the slow group -- the group that was only doing two miles. I ended up doing a little bit more than that, and jogging slowly! I jogged up a rather steep hill. That was totally fine! As I was coming down the hill, ladies were coming back from the ocean and saying "good job" and encouraging us. My shins ached a little, so even though my morale was good I made myself stop jogging so that I wouldn't get injured.

On the way home, my carpool buddy, Dele, and I were high from the good workout. It was her first four-mile run in years, and I felt good with my approx. three-mile walk-jog.