On The Road Again!

“If you see a fork in the road, take it.”  ~ YOGI BERRA

GRANT:  On September 29th, it was the Run for the Toad at the Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area in Paris, Ontario.

VICKY: And we did not run it! 🙁

GRANT:  I know.  It’s too bad.  It’s a great run and the 25K race last year was the highlight of our running careers, right?

VICKY: For sure.  What’s wrong with us?  We should have been out there!

GRANT: Well, you’re recovering from injury. I don’t have a good excuse, but I didn’t run a race all year and wasn’t motivated.

VICKY: Yes, I know. But hey I have good news. The doctor said it’s an IT band injury. I have to get new soles for my shoes and put some cream on my hips and knees 4 times a day for about a month. But he says I should be able to recover from this and run again!

GRANT:  That’s great news!

VICKY:  Thanks G. But how can you say you weren’t motivated?  You had a great year of running.

GRANT: Absolutely.  I did a lot of great trail runs and was out on the track every week, but I really never felt motivated to race.  The funny thing was that I was actually registered for a very long race this year – the Knee Knacker in North Vancouver – one of the most beautiful ultramarathons in North America.  But I just didn’t think I could train myself up to the distance.  I’ve never even run a marathon before.

VICKY:  You’ve got to start somewhere.  Why not a 48 KM run with 16,000 feet of elevation change?

GRANT: It’s a dream.  I felt motivated for it again after reading Scott Jurek’s book Eat and Run.  It’s pretty inspiring to look at what he has accomplished and I do like this idea of running really long distances in the woods.

VICKY:  I agree.  Running on the roads is a bore. Well, at least for me it is. I was out for our traditional Thanksgiving hike at the Dundas Conservation Area with my spouse and 3 lovely bonus children and I concur that there is nothing quite like being out in the woods and breathing that fresh air.

GRANT: Getting out into nature is what running is all about!  That’s what is most appealing about ultramarathons like Run for the Toad or the Knee Knacker.

VICKY: So you’re up for it next year?

GRANT: Absolutely.   It’s time to start training.

VICKY:  Let’s do it! I’ve been meaning to get myself a new goal and I think an ultra just might do the trick!