Ahhh Spring

Good riddance, Winter. Oh how you sucked--on so many levels. But no need to elaborate, because the 2 or 3 people who read this blog probably don't want to relive it. These pics along my usual running routes pretty much sum it up:

Had it all to myself! (The other Zs are all up ahead)

Well HELLO SPRING! Bring on the warmer temps, sunny skies, clear trails, green trees...give us the full treatment! We deserve nice weather, finally.  2014 owes us that much.

What better way to celebrate Spring than with a run? Or maybe a few runs.  Carderock was my first official Team Z run of the year. We ran north on the tow path.

I was thinking--why haven't I run from Carderock before? Plenty of parking, lots of trees, a nice, soft path. I love it!


Three miles up the path is Great Falls...and that's where the trail got busier.

You can't beat the scenery!

Past the falls I had the path all to myself again.

Helpful fact:  if your Garmin crashes, this building is exactly two miles north of the falls.

And that's where I turned around. Five miles out, 5 miles back. The best part of the year starts now!

Two Rivers Race Report

March 15th

The Two Rivers Race Festival in Lackawaxen, PA had lots of options, from a 5K up to marathon distances. What a perfect weekend:  running and more running with back-to-back races over two days! My plan was to run the 5K followed by the 10K on Saturday and run the half marathon on Sunday. The goal? Just see how fast I could go! And soak up the scenery...

I hit the road Friday after work, drove 4.5 hours to the Poconos and stayed overnight at a random hotel. Lackawaxen (I just love saying that name) is a tiny town off the main highway, down a two lane road and through the woods at the point where two rivers converge. So pretty!

You run on a road next to a rushing river with "mountains" on either side. Hard to believe it was mid-March with all the snow and extra cold temps!

I parked my car at the general store, picked up my packet and asked where the start line was. No one seemed to know....not even the volunteers! Let's just say this race was WAY laid back.

Finally some random guy yelled out, "If you're doing the 5K, follow me." So we followed him about 30 yards or so down the road to an orange line painted on the road. "Alright. Ready? Go!"
The course is described as flat, so I was a bit surprised by the annoying false flat/hill we were running up. We had a head wind going up, but a nice tail wind coming back. Finish time for the 5K:  32:30/10:27 pace.

A few minutes later the race director called for the 10Kers to head to the orange line, same drill. I was still out of breath from the 5K but hey, this is what I signed up for! I really tried to push my pace and it hurt! But it hurt so good. Finish time:  1:10:38/11:22 pace.

Being the only one in my age group for the 5K I came in first! And with only two of us in the 10K, I got 2nd in my age group. Winning is fun, even if you didn't have any competition.


Adding to my pint and sock collections- cheers!

I never made it to the half marathon the next day. A couple of hours after the 10K I had to rush home because Boudreaux had taken a turn for the worse. I drove like a maniac and cried the whole way. It was the longest drive ever - 4 hours fighting traffic, trying to hurry up and get home before he died. I miss my sweet boy. He had been part of my life for 15 years.

How do you cope with the loss of a best friend? You go for a run. And that's exactly what I did the next day.