Ahnapee State Trail Run

This weekend we went up north to our cabin, which is the perfect place to get in some running because the Ahnapee State Trail is right across the street.  The plan was for me to get up early, then when I was ready to go, wake up Kris & Abi so they could meet me in Kewaunee for breakfast.  I had looked at a map and estimated it would be a 7-8 mile run.  Turns out, it was my first 10 mile run and one of the best runs ever.

I left around 6:30 on a beautiful morning for a run.  It was in the 70s with a thin layer clouds to keep the sun from making it too hot.

About a mile into the run, I knew it was going to be tough.  My legs were tired from the race and basketball earlier in the week, but I had a goal in mind, and it was a nice day, so I just kept going.

Most of the trail is like the picture above, crushed limestone winding through the woods.  This makes it a great place to see wildlife.  I saw a deer, cardinals, blue jays, geese, wood ducks, a beaver and this guy.

I figured that even on tired legs, I'd be faster than her.  Now I figure it was a her, and that a race wasn't really fair, after I saw another turtle about a quarter mile later.

Turns out the turtles were laying eggs, which was cool to watch.  I took a little break to catch my breath and watch, then kept heading down the trail.

This was another part of the trail I liked, which lead me to think of something that is probably good to keep in mind in life.  Sometimes you have to run into a tunnel...

...To be able to run into the light.

This was the last picture I took, a nice view of the Kewaunee River, because after this, the run got really tough.

When I stopped to take the picture above, I checked where I was on map and saw I still had about half the run ahead of me.  At this point, I realized a few things.  

First, if I finished, this was going to be a much longer run than I initially estimated.  

Second, I was going to need to take it slow and walk for parts if I was going to make it.  

Third, for the rest of the run, I was going to have a choice.  I could keep running or I could call Kris for a ride.  

I kept running.

I ran for a while on the trail and eventually found my way to County Road C.  I knew that if I followed C into Kewaunee it would save an extra loop on the end, so I started running on the road.  It wasn't as scenic as the rest of the run, but it was worth the shortcut.  

I kept running.

At some point I realized that I was walking for about one minute in every five.  I decided I needed to recover  more and walked for a full 5 minutes.  I drank some water.  Stopped and stretched my legs.  At the end of 5 minutes I was still beat, but I started running again.

I kept running.  

Around 8 miles I got a phone call from my dad.  I took it as another good time to walk for a minute and catch my breath again.  We talked for a couple minutes, said bye, and then I started running again.

I kept running.

Pretty soon I saw what I can only describe as what appeared to be the biggest hill in Wisconsin.  Now really, it is probably a normal hill that you wouldn't think anything of under normal circumstances, but after all that running, it was the worst thing I could imagine.  I decided I would run as hard as I could to the base, then walk up.  If I tried to run, I knew I wouldn't have anything left at the top.  I know that while I was walking I talked to Kris on the phone.  I honestly can't remember if I called her or if she called me, all I know is I used a lot of words to describe the hill that I won't repeat here.  As I reached the top, three things happened all at once.  

First, Run Keeper went off that I had covered 8.75 miles and I was at a 12 minute/mile pace.  

Second, I saw a sign marking the city limits of Kewaunee.

Third, I put it together that I was so close to my goal and that if I pushed myself for 15 more minutes, I would make it to 10 miles in under 2 hours.  That was all I needed to get the extra strength to finish.

I kept running.  

Around 9.5 miles I saw Kris driving with Abi waving at me.  That lifted my spirits a little more and I just waved for her to meet my down by the lake.  At this point I wasn't going to stop for anything until I hit 10 miles.  Thankfully, heading toward the lake was mostly downhill, so I even managed to pick up my pace a bit.  As I hit the last block before the lake, I checked my phone, and I had done it.  I hit 10 miles.  

I stopped running.

I couldn't believe it, even an hour before I didn't know that I could do 10 miles.  There was a lot of walking involved, and it certainly wasn't my fastest pace, but I did it.  I've been training for this 10K with the thought going for a half marathon in September.  Before Saturday the 13.1 miles for a half was a distance I couldn't imagine.  Now, I know that it only a 5K more than what I have run, and I know that with just a little more training, I can do it.  

It is strange to think about it, but I know that this run is going to stick with me for a long time.  It is one of those rare moments in life where a switch flipped inside of me and suddenly my perspective on what I can and can't do has changed.  It was awesome, and I can't wait until my next chance to do the run, and see how much faster I can run it the second time. :)