Two posts in two days, this must be some sort of new record....
But, you know, there's never a dull moment and since I'm confined to the couch for awhile (again), I thought I might as well write about it.
The day started out normal enough....enjoyed sleeping in, confirmed that I could keep the rental car while they take a mont to repair Slimer (still waiting to find out who pays for that one...), made plans with a friend to go run...typical Saturday.
Brian and I headed over to the parking lot on the other side of the bridge to meet our friend Ann and run the ninja loop. I'd heard plenty about the ninja loop, but had never actually run it (this will be important later). As soon as we got there, we realized there were a lot of people heading up the trail....apparently we chose the same day as the Headlands 100 (and 50 and 75 and marathon). Go figure, I never run from over there. We decided to share the trails, everyone was pretty spread out, and we'd be turning off their course shortly.
So, up the hill we went. I ran into one of the guys I see a lot at the Coastal races - (running the 100 mile, of course!). I wished him luck and continued along my way up the hill. I'd forgotten how long that hill actually was. And then I came to a 'T'.....hmmmm.....wish I knew the trails that made up the ninja loop. I'm slow, so of course Brian and Ann were ahead of me. haha. I remembered when we were chatting about the trails, someone mentioned SCA. The sign said SCA was to the right, so I took a guess and off I went.
Of course, I quickly realized I either made a wrong decision or was way behind. I figured it was the former, and luckily had cell service, so sent off a quick text to let Brian and Ann know I'd see them back at the car in a few hours. I continued to follow along the race course, getting asked direction at some point. Really? You're going to ask me? haha....I did have the course map on my phone, but another runner came along that knew the course, so they were all set.
At that point, I googled a map of the ninja loop and realized I was pretty much doing a reverse ninja loop. I decided to eliminate the portion that drops in to Tennessee Valley so I could make it back to the car before everyone left. I stayed high and then took Miwok down into Rodeo Valley....from there, I headed over to Rodeo Valley trail and eventually back up to SCA trail (one of my favorites!). SCA would eventually take me back over to the parking lot and back to the car.
And I love running on SCA....it's not really uphill, it's not really downhill....very rolling. And the views, the views are spectacular. It was everything I had missed about running and more. I was also back on the race course, so was having fun cheering on the runners as they passed....of course a good number of them told me what a good job I was doing too....haha. I, of course, didn't have a bib, but didn't have time to explain, so smiled, waved, wished them luck, and went with it.
I ran a lot of SCA....so great!! And then came to some stairs pretty close to where SCA would meet the trail to go back to the bridge. I've marked this area twice, run it far more than that....I KNOW to watch my footing. I usually walk it...because, well, falling down the stairs would suck. A LOT. Today, I ran them. Maybe because I could...maybe because I want to get over my fear of the technical terrain. I don't know. I remember thinking it would really suck to fall here and I should be careful. And then....
Trip...SNAP.
Oh...well....ouch. That wasn't supposed to happen. I guess luckily there were ropes on the stairs that I could grab on to, so I didn't completely bust my ass. But, something snapped. My good ankle....awesome. I mean, I had the bad one in a brace. Barring anything super crazy, that one wasn't going anywhere. I just stopped for a minute....held on to the ropes in my little crouched position as I had fallen....and similar to this day, I bounced my foot up and down to make sure it still worked. Thankfully, it did. As I got up, I overheard a group of hikers talking....one of them said....'oh look...one fell....' Yup, yup, I did. Thanks for noticing. And I'm good....thanks for asking. For those who are wondering, yes, I did get up and pass them.
I sent another text to Brian and Ann....'one mile out....fell....walking in'. And that's what I did. Passed multiple hikers (really guys, the busted foot girl is passing you??). And received a lot of encouragement from passing racers. You guys rock...and I hope you all have a fabulous race! I only hope I was half as encouraging to you - especially since you may still be running now, as I sit on my couch with my foot up, enjoying some wine.
I met Brian and Ann at the parking lot and we headed for home. I mean, it all makes sense....last year, I bust my foot the weekend before we leave for Nepal....this year, I bust my foot the weekend before Tahoe. Good times.....
At this point, I don't think there's anything seriously wrong. However, I have sprained the other ankle multiple times and this feels...different. It's not crazy swollen, but the actual ankle (malleolus) is really sore to the touch and starting to bruise. It also doesn't really hurt unless I stand on it, move it, or touch it, which I remember the sprains just throbbing. Again, it's just different. I'm not sure if that means good or bad different, but I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so will just add this to the list.
Like I said....never a dull moment....and I really just need to live in that bubble Erica suggested last weekend. But, it was a pretty amazing run before I tanked. Ugh...stupid stairs.
Thought of the day - I should have just stayed home and drank beer.
Until next time, over and out....
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