The morning run began like any other, except this time there was chest pounding, grunting and "Rawrrrrrring" in preparation for the 17 miles that lay before us. Anna and I were PUMPED! But, the one thing we wanted to avoid was lapping our cars on the short nine mile path. We analyzed the posted map of the forest preserve to figure out a way to avoid doing the same trail twice and came up with a pretty exciting sounding plan. And off we went!
After a three mile run, we stepped off onto the planned path which was sure to link up, not perfectly, but close enough to the next short trail. We were excited for this one: a short loop around would bring us to what I call "the horse path," which is an unpaved, shaded journey through trees with a high population of deer, bunnies, and a single cat I spotted last week. It’s a fun 3.7 mile loop that would then link us back up to the original trail that we started on and then back to our cars (then home!).
When we came to the end of the first off-shoot, we traversed through muck. And I mean MUCK! Ew! It was deep, deep mud that we tiptoed through before finally getting to the rocks on the side of the rail road tracks. I thought to myself, "huh. railroad tracks." Anna, being the mind reader that she is responded, "I know this is weird, but I've done this before with a friend." I felt relieved as we tried to find the best footing: low down the slope, higher towards the tracks….eventually we rested our feet on the wood planks jutting out from the rail as Anna asked, "How wide are trains?" Hopefully not too wide.
As we envisioned jumping down the slight hill to avoid a passing train, we feared the carnies that would swoop us up and take us away, never to be seen again by our families. It wasn't until we heard the dogs barking in the not so far distance, changing our fears to thoughts of rabies, that the carnies didn't seem so bad anymore. We passed where Anna thought the turn off was and continued on our way in hopes that it was still up ahead.
Our ankles were twisting, we jumped over wires that looked harmfully electric, we tried to keep our pace up, but running on sloping rails is not as easy as it seems. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Anna continually repeated while in my head I was giggling and enjoying the scary adventure that we found ourselves experiencing. She stopped and turned to me to ask if I wanted to go back, but I urged her up ahead with assurance that the turn-off is close.
We approached our so-called "turn-off" only to realize that we were standing atop a very steep hill with no good way of getting down. There was nothing to hold onto, there were only rocks beneath our feet that slipped out from under us with each step. We considered turning around and finally retreating back to the original trail when we heard….a whistle. Not just any whistle, but a train whistle. Can we outrun a train? I think not. So, down we went. We skidded down on our butts and were able to make it to where we were surrounded by all kinds of plants that, despite Anna's horticultural career, even she didn't know what they were. I held onto a tree branch, so not to fall and we hurried through the head-high forest of shrubs before us hoping that interspersed was not poison ivy, oak, or ticks. When we finally emerged we were covered in hundreds and hundreds of tiny burs! They were unrelentlessly attached to our arms, legs, butts (hehehe), running belts, shoes…. ::sigh:: So, we spent the next 10 minutes or so laughing hysterically about the train (that never came) that we narrowly avoided and the fact that, apparently, all along, we were running parallel to the trail that were look for. Oh, Nikki and Anna. You silly girls.
After our bellies recovered from the hysteria, we resumed our run. Finally we were on the right track until……..the trail ended. Now this was funny! So, we turned around to go the opposite direction on the trail until…..it ended in this direction, too. And where were we to end up, but Golf Road. If any of you are from the Hoffman Estates-ish area, you know that, as a runner, you do not want to be on Golf road. Golf is a two-lane highway with a speed limit of 55, meaning that people actually drive close to 70 mph. And to make matters worse, there was no shoulder to run on. But, what were our options. Let's review.
a.) We could continue down Golf Road and hope to come to an intersection soon that will tell us where we are, but possibly risk being hit by a car or picked up by scary people passing by; or
b.) We retreat back along the railroad tracks and risk death by train, dog, electricity or carnies.
So we ran down Golf road.
We finally arrived at an intersection and Anna (to the rescue!) knew exactly where we were. A few loops in and out of neighborhoods, a pass by a familiar farm where a few friends used to live, a wave to a pony and a goat and before we knew it, we were back at Poplar Creek Forest Preserve. We did it!!!! Now we only have........ oh…..we still have to run 8 miles. Hahaha. Well, off we go.
Mile after mile the lady on my belt talks to me to tell me our pace and how far we've gone. We become delusional and begin yelling at her to "shut-up, lady! You couldn't run 17 miles if you tried! You don't have legs!" She tells us how slow we've gone due to our de-burring and rough terrain, but we just laugh and keep on running.
"Anna, how are you feeling?"
"Well, aside from the pain in my arms, legs, hips, knees and feet, I feel fine. How about you, Nikki?"
"I think I'm going to throw up."
It wasn't one of our best moments.
So we walk up the hill. We stop and stretch. I tell a passing runner that I like his Mario shirt. And we started running again.
As we continue on, we see that both of us have broken out into rashes on our arms and legs. I guess it was to be expected.
We finally arrive back to our cars after 16 miles of running, but we still have a mile left to go. It has been a long journey and we are both exhausted and itchy and we want to stop, but Anna breaks out into song as we continue on our way. "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord…" She sang one line and I responded with the next. We worked our way through several worship songs, which were really pleas to God to carry us through to completion, and he responded we a gentle push against our backs and an extra breath in our lungs.
Our last mile was the fastest of all 17.
During my 17 mile run, I have learned that I deeply love my friend, Anna. I love her for all she has taught me through our long conversations about running, friendship, prayer, unashamed adoration for God and the way she has given me courage to keep going no matter the odds. I am so grateful for every step we have taken together and would not have wished for a different turn at any point along the way.
One final thought: If you ever need anything to take your mind off a 17 mile run, simply add carnies, rabid dogs, electrical wires, rash-inducing shrubbery, hundreds of burs, high-speed-two-lane highways with no shoulder or sidewalk, a good friend and cries to God for strength. Mix together and you'll be done before you know it!
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