Have You Ever....

agreed to something that sounds like a good idea but then when you actually start to do it you think, "WTF was I thinking?"

runnerOne and I were scheduled for a run yesterday. I thought we would do a loop at Memorial Park or do some speed work on the track. I got an email from him asking if I could meet him for a trail run. I said sure.

Pulled out the trail running shoes (hadn't run in them in 2 years), bright red shirt (so that if I got lost I could be found), shorts longer than I normally wear (to keep from getting scratched) and a cap (to keep from getting hit in the face) and I was off.

I was bit concerned about it being wet on The Ho Chi Minh Trail. It wasn't as wet as it could have been but it was still on the muddy side in some spots.

It has been two years since I've done any kind of trail running and I was having trouble with my footing. He was well ahead of me but still within hearing distance of me screaming if rolled down an embankment into Buffalo Bayou.

SIDEBAR: So one time a few years ago I was running The Ho Chi Minh Trail by myself and really did slide down a muddy embankment. It was like that scene from Romancing The Stone. I had mud all over my body and let me just say some of it was in places where the sun doesn't shine.

When it was all said and done, it was fun. It was about a 40 minute run or so. I wasn't as muddy as I thought I would be and that was fine with me. The shoes and socks did get a washing with the water hose before I walked into the house.