This morning I went for a brief, easy run, just to clean out my legs a bit from yesterday's long run. I was pleased to discover that they felt fine really, not nearly as sore as I thought they'd be. I attribute that to the fact that we were running on snow covered trails, so the pounding on my legs was greatly reduced.
Today was also only the second time in my life that I've ever ran with music. I recently bought an ipod Nano to use for certain runs and really just to play with. It's interesting, running with music. I had always thought I'd hate it because I so enjoy letting my thoughts roll out at their own speed. I had assumed that I was a bit more autonomous with regard to how these thoughts came to me, but now I realize that that wasn't the case.
What I've discovered is that any external stimulus can create and drive our thoughts, be it the beauty of an evergreen who's branches are dusted white with snow, or the smell of burning leaves in the autumn or even the music on my ipod. All of this has the potential to be the starting point of a train of thought that may lead to something profound or important, or they may even just fizzle out quickly and, in turn, propagate new thoughts.
A fun discovery about the ipod is that so many of these songs, especially those from my younger days, have memories attached to them. The first song that came on today was "Bigmouth Strikes Again" by the Smiths. Great song! That song made me think of high school and the days of discovering the Smiths and the very small circle of friends that loved that band too.
So now I've come to grips with being a runner with an ipod. I'll wear my earbuds with pride!
"As the flames rose to my Norwegian nose and my ipod started to melt." *lyrics adjusted by me.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
14 in the snow
This morning I got together with Dave, Dave and Henry for another Saturday run. Today we went for a little over 14 miles, a little under 2 1/2 hours. We went out and back along the snowmobile trials, starting at Lester Park and turning around just short of the Martin Road. Schuney and I ran in snowshoes, while Hypo and Henry spun their wheels in their road trainers. I really don't know who had to work harder in the snow but it didn't really matter, we all stayed together, starting out very easy (around 12 minutes for the first mile) and finishing the downhill 2nd half quicker but in complete control, just rolling along nicely.
It's always such a pleasure to run with these guys, we can stay in a nice pack and we get along so well that it's a great group to be in. And then, of course, there's the beauty of the trails. Today, we had temps in the mid 20s, a fresh few inches of fluffy snow and light, slow falling flakes for most of our run, it was gorgeous.
The challenge of the route we did is the constant climb on the way out. Our turnaround point was just beyond the 7 mile mark, but the first 6 miles is nearly all uphill. There are few steep hills, and the ones that are steep are thankfully short, but it is a steady, consistent climb and you will definitely feel it get to you at some point.
The beauty of that, however, is then the steady, consistent descent you get to feel as you come back down. It's a chance to open up a bit, if you like, and run a little faster, at least a little easier. It's a well deserved reward from the effort you just put in getting to the top.
And such is life, isn't it? Ups and downs. Challenges and rewards. And good times with friends.
"BEAR!"
It's always such a pleasure to run with these guys, we can stay in a nice pack and we get along so well that it's a great group to be in. And then, of course, there's the beauty of the trails. Today, we had temps in the mid 20s, a fresh few inches of fluffy snow and light, slow falling flakes for most of our run, it was gorgeous.
The challenge of the route we did is the constant climb on the way out. Our turnaround point was just beyond the 7 mile mark, but the first 6 miles is nearly all uphill. There are few steep hills, and the ones that are steep are thankfully short, but it is a steady, consistent climb and you will definitely feel it get to you at some point.
The beauty of that, however, is then the steady, consistent descent you get to feel as you come back down. It's a chance to open up a bit, if you like, and run a little faster, at least a little easier. It's a well deserved reward from the effort you just put in getting to the top.
And such is life, isn't it? Ups and downs. Challenges and rewards. And good times with friends.
"BEAR!"
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