What Goes Up, Must Come Down

My run this morning was good. Mark, Brenna and I hit the trails at 7 am. We started out at a moderately fast pace and didn’t look back. It was a conversational pace run, but the longest hill offered a challenge here and there. We took a moment of silence to catch our breath as we tackled one particularly steep section of the hill.

After running about 5 miles, the trail narrows. This section is one of my favorites. The trail meanders along the hillside as the switchbacks take you upward. Although it is mostly climbing, the trail rolls down in some sections. We felt a rush of colder air as we hit these dips in the trail and Brenna got stung a couple of times by a wasp, or bee, along the way.

I got pretty nervous after that. I have an allergy to the honey bee (which I doubt would be out in these parts) but I didn’t have my epinephrine pen with me. Brenna getting stung was just a reminder to carry it with me on my runs.

After we hit the trail marker that notes the 6.5 mile point, we ran an additional 10 minutes to make the run about 14 miles. Then, after enjoying a the rest of my Cliff Shots with water, we turned back. What goes up, must come down, and our case QUICKLY. It took us 9 minutes less time on the descent than it on the ascent.

Several hours later, in the heat beside the pool, I found my head bobbing down to my chest. I fought to stay awake for YaYa’s 30 minute swim lesson. I’m beat.