I RAN TODAY

Eleven days.

That is how long it has been since I seriously injured myself running. I have been out of the game since. For the first time ever, I listened to my body whisper (ahem... more like scream) and I took it easy (well, I didn't run, at least). It felt unnatural not to run every day, but I adapted quickly. Suddenly, I had nothing but spare time! I read books on nutrition for athletes, finished my latest painting, made some new friends and did some hiking. I pushed REALLY hard on my cycle classes and during Pure Awesomeness, but stayed off of my feet when I was tempted to lace up one of my fourteen pairs of running shoes (okay, maybe I don't own 14 pairs... or maybe I do... I'm not going to tell you how many I own...). But no injury can hold this girl down for long.

BunBun came to visit!

The 5AM run. The one that keeps me sane. It was missing from my life and I needed it back like a cougar needs food after 5 days of being stuck in a dark pit. Yes, I needed to run that badly. I do indeed love my cycle classes, Pilates workouts and plyometric training, but without running, my life seemed somehow incomplete.

Today was the day. The day of joy and beauty and adrenaline. During cycle class this morning, someone mentioned it is supposed to rain tomorrow. Was I going to allow the rain to come before I got out there and put some mileage in? Heck no, techno!

So I called Nash and asked him how he felt about me completing an easy 3 mile run. I could hear how elated he was with the idea. "Yes! And finish with 6...  no, ten 100m strides," he directed. I took in some Gu, chugged a couple of ounces of water and hit the dirt. Just a quick little jaunt on the cliffs overlooking the ocean was all it took to make me feel alive once again.

I won't lie, my psoas could feel the hill climbs and I definitely did not have the speed I used to keep, but when I wanted to push harder, I reminded myself I was starting from scratch and needed to treat this run as if I was a beginner.

A beginner. The thought frightened me when I first thought about it. All of the lost toenails, dollars spent on shoes, hours taken from my day... I have invested so much into running already. Heck, I married running! But maybe this isn't such a bad idea. If I really want to do the Western States 100 and if I really want to place in my race in February, then I need to make sure I am doing things correctly. This will be a great time to learn and improve and become the best runner I can be.

Speaking of learning, that is another thing I did a lot of this past week and a half. Some of the lessons learned were as follows:

1. Heather and I discovered where Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch is located. We also discovered that security there is pretty gnarly, so be prepared to go to the sheriff's department if you are hoping to catch a glimpse of the amusement park.

2. Patrick and Ben invited me over for crepes last Saturday after my Pilates class. Ben is from the Alps in France and he lives with people from all over the world: Russia, China, Vietnam, Bulgaria, etc. I had so much fun at breakfast that I went back Sunday evening for steak and mashed potatoes. All of the people in this house have one sport in common: Climbing. It was so interesting to hear all the great experiences these people have had on the mountain. I felt like I fit right in due to my passion for the outdoors and my desire to become a better climber. I've actually been spending a lot of time with Ben this past week and I really enjoy everything I am learning about the French culture, rock climbing and being young. I really admire that Ben and his friends live every moment to the fullest; they live in order to enjoy life. It's quite exhilarating. I enjoy the European view of life: Eat chocolate, drink beer and enjoy the company of your friends every chance you get.

3. I have gotten quite a reputation in Santa Barbara. A man came up to me in the running store last Saturday and said, "Excuse me, are you Ashlee?" I had never seen this man in my life. "I read your blog about the Red Rock race. Congratulations! You did an incredible job! And I really enjoyed your writing style. You brought the race to life." Awww shucks. A few hours later, a woman walked in and said, "Oh my gosh! You're Ashlee! Someone was just telling me all about your race last weekend! Hey, we are doing the Rim-to-Rim next May if you want to join!" Today, another man walked in and we started talking about running, racing and competition. Somehow, my line of work was mentioned. "You teach at the YMCA," he asked. "What's your name?" I told him and his face lit up. "Allison has been telling me to take your classes! She highly recommends you!" Dude... that's fantastic.

Life is good. I have new friends, I feel really good about my abilities and I am running again. I'm seriously walking on clouds right now! For now, I am going to focus on my race in February and not push for anything else. Usually, I try to plan my races for the year in advance, but I think this year I will just focus on getting into better running shape and forget about the competition until I find something I can't turn down.

Yeah... we'll see how long that lasts...