I ran a 20K trail race this weekend at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet. “Ran” may be too strong a word, as much of the route consisted of massive rocks that I had to walk. Even walking a great deal, I managed to slip going downhill and land on my butt, and I nearly face-planted on another occasion. My performance wasn’t pretty, but it was fun.

I almost didn’t make the run because I’ve not been feeling 100% lately. I’ve been congested and coughing a bit. That morning, when I woke up, I was tempted to skip the race and just allow my body the extra sleep, but I had a friend in town running the race with me, and he suggested we make the drive. If we didn’t feel up to it when we got there, we wouldn’t run, but we’d at least get ourselves to the race and then make the decision. Groggy and low in energy, I wanted to grump back at the suggestion, but I really like this guy, so I decided to suck it up and not ruin his race.

I’m so glad we went.

Reveille Peak Ranch was gorgeous. There was granite everywhere, and in some instances, we climbed the rocks so high that we could see for miles. The air was crisp and cold. It felt good to be running, even though I didn’t feel entirely well. I ran the longest distance I’ve ever done on trails. And at the race, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in years. It was wonderful all around.

Being there – doing what I didn’t think I could do on that particular morning – reminded me that I’m tougher than I think. It also reminded me that I don’t ever regret getting my training done, whether it be a workout or a race. After the race, we were all smiles.

I need to remember both things on those days when I don’t feel well, physically or mentally, and just get my butt out of bed and get moving.