Run for Regis

I had an absolute blast at the Run for Regis yesterday. As I stated in my last post, I was coming into the race without having run in a couple of weeks. I’ve been sick and unmotivated the last month. Events like the Run for Regis remind me why I love running so much.


As Tanya said in her pre-race speech, this is not a race and as soon as it stops being fun come in and have some chili. I took that to heart yesterday and approached the race with the mindset that I was just going to enjoy myself and see how the day unfolded.

It was a little colder than I anticipated at the start of the race but overall the weather was great for a run. The heavy snow of previous weeks was now melting and it left us with a slushy, icy trail. The ledges and stairs were especially treacherous and I really wish I had taken the time to screw my shoes. The trail was pretty decent though and I would compare it to running on the beach, it just required a little more effort but wasn’t too challenging.

Surprisingly I started the race out in control. I always tell myself that I’m going to start out slow but it never seems to happen. Well yesterday I ran a smart “race”, so to speak. I found myself running with Kevin, Dave, and Lloyd on the first 5.5 mile loop. It was run running with them and I was feeling good. If it weren’t for a necessary restroom break after returning to the Ledges Shelter I would have loved to carry on with them. As it were, my 6 minute pit stop was a blessing in disguise. Since I had lost touch with the “faster” group it gave me an excuse to slow down more and really enjoy the day.

I left the shelter with Michelle and planned on sticking with her for the 8 mile loop around Kendall Lake. To her credit she kept her own pace and we didn’t get sucked into mine and we didn’t end up running together for very long, although I believe she was right behind me for almost the entire loop. About halfway through the loop Jimmy Fisher caught up to me and we ran together for several miles. I’ve run countless miles with Jim’s younger brother Patrick but I haven’t had the chance to log many miles with Jim and really enjoyed catching up with him on the trail.

As we completed the loop and started out for the 5.5 mile loop we were joined by Mel, who was having a great day out on the trail. She was leading the women’s race and the three of us (Jimmy, Mel, and myself) ran the entire loop together. I had never run with Mel before but you make fast friends on the trail, which is one of my favorite things about trail running. The three of us chatted the whole time and before we knew it we were back at the shelter.

By this time I was a little tired and a bowl of chili was calling my name. I sat down for a couple minutes at the shelter and debated whether I wanted to continue. I was actually in pretty good shape physically, no aches or pains, but I was just out there to enjoy myself and I didn’t know how enjoyable another 8 miles would be. If Terri, Mark, or Michelle came through I would have certainly headed back out but I was sort of in no-mans-land. After I finished my bowl of chili and had warmed up inside I decided that going back out wasn’t going to happen.

I’ve got no regrets. I don’t have any races until April and right now I’m just out here to log miles and enjoy my training. According to my watch I logged 19.5 miles in 3:15 minutes, which isn’t a bad little training run considering the conditions. The best thing about the run is that it left me wanting more. I can’t wait to get out there on another run!