Bailin out

Well, I'm embarrassed to say I bailed out on my Sunday trail run.  What was supposed to be 2 inches of snow on Saturday, turned out to be 6 or 8 inches in the mountains and I just did not want to run trails with that much snow cover.  That coupled with high stream levels following heavy rains earlier in the week would have made fording Otter Creek an adventure at the very least.

Soooo, I opted for a nice "dry" road run.  Roads were clear, sky was blue and temps were in the high 30's to low 40's.  I did 16 and it was great being able to look around at the scenery and not really pay attention to where I put my feet instead of looking down all the time and waiting for that lurking root to reach up and tackle me.   LOL

Back to the trails this coming weekend.

                                                          "Toe nails are for sissies."
                                                                        Unknown

A new trail

Well, after a very light run today, Saturday is a rest day.  Sunday I will be running deeper into the heart of the Otter Creek Wilderness.  After fording Otter Creek at 4.1 miles, I'll be heading up the Possession Camp Trail (3.1 miles) to its intersection with the Green Mountain Trail.  Although I have hiked and backpacked much of the Otter Creek back country, this is a section I have never seen before, which is exciting.  The weather on Saturday is calling for a couple of inches of snow in Elkins, but who knows what that translates to in the mountains.  Sunday is supposed to be milder, sunny and a high of 46, so after things warm from Saturday night's low of 19, it should make for a good run.

                                          "We don't need no stinkin toenails"
                                                       Unknown

Blame it all on Danielle

Since about 1985, I've been perfectly content to chug along at 25 miles a week, maintaining my weight, blood pressure, etc.  I could even eat the occasional bowl of ice cream without fear of blimping out.

In May 2011, my daughter Danielle registered for the Pittsburgh Marathon.  As I walked with her to the corrals, I was swelling with pride.  My last minute  advice (sip some water at every aid station, run your own race, etc.) caused me to tear up.  I just had to walk away, telling Dan I'd see her at the finish line.  I didn't know it at the time, but I had been bitten by the bug.

Some two weeks later, Danielle called me and said "let's register for a marathon in the fall."  I thought why not, I can train back up.  I had run one sub 3:00 and several sub 3:10 races back in my younger days.  This can't be too hard, can it???

So amping my weekly mileage up during one of the hottest summers in recent memory, I began to achieve a level of fitness needed to at least finish another 26.2.

We registered to run the Wine Glass Marathon in Corning, NY, which incidently is a great course; very flat and very fast (for fast runners).  Some would say a monster was born.

                                                       "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."
                                                                                    Lance Armstrong

my first blog

20 Feb. 2012
A friend of mine in Salt Lake is going to run the Wasatch 100 and sent me his blog URL.  I thought, why not, so here we go (is that like the Bud Lite dog, "Wego"?)

Always remember, "Pain is Temporary.  Quitting lasts Forever"
                                                                        Lance Armstrong