Journey to OZ

This morning was our Journey to OZ challenge run. 5.2 miles through the mud and muck (it rained the past three days). The sun was shining when I got up this morning but, by the time we went out for the run at 10:30, it became a little overcast. It was also cold. For whatever reason, I was a little slow dressing out and didn't leave myself much time to stretch and warm-up. With the colder temps., I was afraid I might pull a muscle. I guess I got enough stretching in because I did fine. After about the first mile, the cold didn't bother me anymore either.

Most of the run was through the woods and trails around Lake Lunga. Unfortunately, the trails aren't that wide so there were times when I got bogged down behind some slower runners/walkers. About the time I was able to make a pass and get around some of them, my right foot found a mud hole. That was real pleasant. Nothing like running in wet socks and shoes. I was able to keep a pretty good pace throughout, though. And I made my goal of finishing under 1 hour; I finished at 57:20...about middle of the pack. No problems with the knee either. If you would have asked me 10 weeks ago if I could run 5+ miles, the answer probably would've been "NO". I'm proud of myself and of everyone else here. The last runner came in at about 75 minutes so, we're all qualified for next week's Yellow Brick Road Run.

This afternoon's Enrichment Speaker was Bobby Smith. It was a good presentation. This man has had plenty of tragedy in his life. He's a Louisiana State Trooper who was shot in the face in 1986. Because of the shooting, he's totally blind. He also lost his daughter in a traffic crash and his son to a drug overdose. In spite of all this tragedy, the man has obtained his doctorate degree, written three books, and instructs new recruits at the Louisiana Academy.

We're almost done!