Well after a month I am finally back out running. Double pneumonia is a drag. Couldn’t hardly do anything and had to get two rounds of antibiotics. Blah! Anyway on Tuesday I went for a gentle 6km road run just to test out the body and lungs. Man….I lost a lot over that month off. I could still run but I felt it everywhere! However it felt fabulous being back out there again. I really missed running. In fact over the month that I had to take off, I sat here and coughed and watched YouTube videos of trail running; aching to be out there in the forest again.
Well today I did a short trail run with Annie (my dog). Took it easy and picked my way around a short loop. The smell of the flowers and other vegetation was incredible. I missed the trails more than I thought. It was like being back with an old friend. Managed to do 6.5 kms and it all felt right. A bit stiff tonight but again, after a month off I’m not complaining.
Now I just have to take it easy and not try and overdo it. It’s gonna take a few weeks or more just to get back in the swing of things but I’m not complaining. I’m back in the saddle again!!
On a side note, I tried out a new app called RunGo. Basically it’s like a car GPS but it’s made for runners. You can download routes or plot your own. I plotted my road run on my laptop, downloaded it to my phone and sure enough, it guided me through the whole run! Now I travel a lot for work and I’ve always dreamed of an app like this. I can be in downtown Chicago (or wherever), look up my hotel on the map, zoom out and plot a course and not worry about getting lost. Turn by turn instructions keep you on your course. It’s really amazing. Apparently it works for trails too. Gonna have to check that out. Would be nice on a new trail where there are multiple choices on where to go. This way you’re not getting off the trail you want and into something harder (or easier). I think it was around $10 for the full version but you can use the free version as well. No excuses for running in new places anymore!
Travels and Trails 