I wish I could write about how wonderful and epic my first Quad Dipsea turned out. But I can't. Because my first Quad Dipsea turned out to be pathetically short lived. The first 5 miles were great! I was hanging out with some wonderful people like Laura and Kynan, Rick Gaston, and Jennifer Lopez (AKA J-Lo). The weather and the scenery was picture perfect. Life was good. I was happy. And then it happened. I was running downhill very well when I stepped on some uneven dirt and turned my right ankle rather violently. I crumpled down in a heap of pain and pulled myself to the side of the trail. I sat there for a long while, not sure what to do. I eventually got up and hobbled along. I took two Advil, but still could not run. I could walk with a limp, but the uneven surface made things very difficult. If there were 10 miles left in the race, I would have been tempted to hobble my way to a finish, but there were 22 miles to go and a ton of stairs. I wanted to cry in frustration! But I didn't. I got a ride back to the finish line and got to cheer in the first 3 runners. They had some delicious pizza at the finish line! They were making it right there from scratch! I wish I could have stayed to cheer in more runners, especially my friends, but I decided to go home to my family and kids.
Bad things can happen in every facet of our lives and in our races. We can take them with sorrowful tears or we can take them with a positive attitude and a touch of defiance. There will always be some disappointment, but we have to move on and always look forward. I was happy for J-Lo, Rick, Laura and Kynan for their fabulous finishes. I was a little envious that they got to spend their day rocking those beautiful trails! This little sprained ankle is a minor injury and I'll be back to running in no time.
I am still a very lucky and blessed person this holiday season. Thank you all for your support and kindness.
Keep that positivity. Sorry about the ankle. Have you noticed more ankle torque with the Hokas compared to minimal shoes? I was always suspicious that a shoe like that would increase the torque arm on your ankle since it puts more distance between your ankle and the ground, therefore, any weight that doesn't transfer straight through the shoe to the ground would cause a pronounced torque on your ankle. Just a theory though...
ReplyDeleteYou amaze me with a great attitude even when things take a bad turn. Sorry you lost this opportunity, but I know there will be more ahead.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing a little more trail running lately, and even started looking around near here- just to find some gravel roads that I could train on. Only problem is that I don't have a partner and no one would hear me scream if a cougar caught me. Anyhow..just thinking it would be fun to mix it up a little and have some different terrain for wear and tear.
Hope you had a great thanksgiving!
Jeremy, your theory is a good one and I agree with it. I think its time I shelved the Hokas and went back to my La Sportiva Crosslites at least for any trails even remotely gnarly.
ReplyDeleteRaina, good luck with your trail running! And thank you for your kind words! I really do appreciate it. With your running ability, you'd be a natural speedster on the trails. It is too bad that we have to share the trails with cougars! They make me nervous too! Maybe that's one of the reasons why I feel so close to God out there! =)