Lucas - relaxing on my Lunar Eclipses - wishing he could go running with me this a.m.
I cruised through about 34 miles of asphalt, concrete, gravel, and dirt this week. As the weather cooled, my mileage rose almost unconsciously. My normally shorter 3-4 mile Wed and Thursday runs became 5 mile runs as temperatures in the early a.m. moved into the high 60s-low 70s range. The highlight of the week's running happened Saturday morning, when my running buddy, Eric, and I popped down to the riverfront trails to knock out a 9 mile run.
For once, there were no other runners in sight. But you couldn't spit without hitting a mountain biker. It was great to see the trails in full use. We had the closest encounter with a cyclist that I've ever witnessed. But everyone was good-natured and enjoying the day. With stops to get out of the way of trains of riders, we still managed to finish in an hour and a half. There were very few spider webs to the face as well because the bikers had cleared most of them out by our 7 a.m. start time.
After dropping Eric back at his house, I drove home thinking about just how much running has come to mean to me; particularly trail running. On our runs together, Eric and I have talked about how much of a community the Trail Hawks have built. Friendships, support networks, and social gatherings have all come out of the organization. You feel good when you are around these people. Everyone has varied interests and backgrounds. Yet everyone shares a common passion about the oldest of sports.
The Hawks are hosting a 100 mile race in September. They are looking for volunteers to help with the 30+ hour race. If you are a runner who can help monitor the trails, or just a person who might want to volunteer time in another capacity, please visit http://www.lawrencetrailhawks.com/ and find out more about how to become involved.
While writing this post, I took a short break and ran the 1/2 mile to the trails near my house (in the odd little park off of Folks Rd.). I ran the white course, and then popped back out for a loop on the orange/yellow route before heading home. It was a lovely way to wind down from the runs of the last 7 days, and enjoy the flora and fauna that surround my neighborhood.
Next week's post will be a little late. I'm going to be out running my favorite road course in the country (I have written about this mystery course extensively in the past). I hope to have more pics and prose by a week from Tuesday.
It is marvelous to have the cooler temperatures we've been experiencing lately. I've really struggled with my running through the last two-thirds of July, and the first week of August. At one point, I didn't run for an entire week. That's the longest I've gone without running since I started in April of last year. I wake up at 5:30 to go to work, and I don't see myself getting out of bed at 4:00 to accommodate an hour of running, so, I'm an afternoon - evening runner. I keep hoping for a job with a later start time so I can move to morning running, though :D
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine ultra-running. I've never run farther than a half-marathon. Good luck to those who are doing it!
I'm with you on the morning runs. I like to get up and get the blood flowing. I'm also good with ultra running, but my limit is about 50K, not 100mi. That is a whole 'nother reality.
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