Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Rain, Rain Go Away – Sabrina

This Sunday I ran 16.1 miles on my treadmill in my basement. Three hours and ten minutes is a long time to spend on a treadmill, but I tried to make the best of it. After all, I was inside and dry. I had a 100 song playlist on my IPOD, and a Warren Miller extreme skiing video to pull me through. And I made it. The next day, I felt surprisingly good! Monday's a cross training day for me that consists of a 50 minute Pilates class followed by a 50 minute spin class, more indoor work outs.

Tuesday brought the return of the sun along with an extra hour of daylight after work. I strapped on my trail runners, whistled for my dog, Terra, and headed out to our favorite local conservation land for a four-mile run. We headed up the old ski hill first, pausing to take in the view from the top before heading down the dirt road and then into the woods. The run off from the recent storm combined with the downed trees made for a great outdoor adventure run. We hurdled huge mud bogs, leaped across small streams and ran several laps quietly through the old pastures. A short loop around a dirt service road, and we were closing our loop. I looked at Terra, her white legs black with mud. I looked at my new replacement Vasque Velocity trail runners, black with mud. Clearly, there was only one solution...we ran another loop. Life is good!

This weekend I am planning my next long run, a 16 to 18 miler, to take place in New Hampshire. I am thrilled at the prospect of quiet, long run along country roads. March 28 will be my last long run, and I have registered for the Eastern States 20 Miler. The course runs along the seacoast from Kittery, Maine to Salisbury, Mass. I can't wait to finally not run alone!

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