We Went Back for the Trail That Beat Us

Hello everyone!

It’s been a couple of days, so I figured it was time for an update.

And there’s actually quite a bit to talk about.

First things first…

The October Challenge Is Happening 🎃💪

We are definitely doing another challenge in October.

I’ve realized that I do better when I have a challenge going on. Having something to check off every day gives me that extra motivation to get my workout in instead of convincing myself I’ll do it “later.”

And we all know how later likes to mysteriously turn into never. 😂

I’m still working out exactly what the October challenge is going to look like, but it’s happening.

Stay tuned.

Now, let’s talk about Saturday because apparently my idea of enjoying a kid-free Saturday is walking through the woods for eight hours.

We Had the Day to Ourselves

Our son normally has to report to football on Saturdays for film, but this week he had the day off.

Our daughter was going to a friend’s house.

That meant my husband and I basically had the entire day to ourselves.

His idea was to head over to the loop we’ve been training on and get some more practice in.

Good idea.

Except when we got there, the park had a triathlon going on.

So much for that plan.

That’s when I had an idea.

And in hindsight, perhaps someone should start questioning my ideas.

Let’s Go Back

Back in June, we attempted a trail that was supposed to be around 13.5 miles.

We didn’t finish it.

We made it about 4-ish miles in before my husband needed to turn around.

DNF.

That trail has been sitting in the back of our minds ever since.

So with our original plans ruined, I had a brilliant suggestion:

Let’s go back and crush that trail.

It had been about four months.

We’ve both been working out.

We’ve been getting stronger.

We’ve been putting in miles.

Let’s finish what we started.

Besides, it’s only 13.5 miles.

I figured we’d be done in about four hours.

Well…

About that.

Eight Hours Later…

8 hours.

15+ miles.

And eventually…

WE MADE IT BACK TO THE JEEP.

Apparently our estimate was just a tiny bit off. 😂

And those last couple of miles?

Complete darkness.

There we were, walking through the woods in the dark because apparently neither one of us understands time management OR has the ability to accept being defeated by this trail twice.

Was it pretty at the end?

Absolutely not.

Did we care?

NOPE.

Because this time…

WE FINISHED THAT DAMN TRAIL.

I’m So Proud of My Husband

This is the part that really made the day special for me.

Four months ago, my husband couldn’t finish this trail.

Saturday, he crushed it.

That is a huge accomplishment by itself.

But this hike also gave him two personal milestones:

🥾 His longest hike ever: 15+ miles

🏅 His first time covering half-marathon distance

That’s a pretty incredible difference in only four months.

Sometimes progress happens slowly enough that you don’t really notice it while it’s happening.

Then you go back and attempt something that once stopped you.

Suddenly, you realize just how much has changed.

I am incredibly proud of him.

And Then Came Sunday…

I woke up Sunday feeling surprisingly good.

My legs were a little tight, but overall?

I felt pretty damn good considering we’d just spent eight hours hiking more than 15 miles.

And despite every part of me wanting to get up and do something…

I forced myself to take a full rest day.

Yes.

Me.

The woman who just wrote an entire blog post about how much she hates rest days.

I took one.

Please respect my privacy during this difficult time. 😂

My husband, on the other hand, had a much rougher recovery.

After Saturday’s hike, he had an episode of uncontrollable shaking, and by Sunday his legs and the rest of his body wanted absolutely nothing to do with movement.

He still forced himself to move around some, but you could definitely tell that hike had taken a lot out of him.

Today, thankfully, we’re both feeling better.

I’m even thinking about going for a run.

My husband?

I think an active rest day might be more his speed today.