"I like the mud, really I do!"

I keep say that to myself thinking that I might actually start to believe it! It is almost working which is good, because I really don't have much of a choice. It has been really really rainy this spring, but, everything is really really green!

The past couple of weeks have gone well, training-wise. I had a great run last weekend in the mud to break in my new shoes. At one point near the goat farm, I ran out of my left shoe! I stood there for a moment and then started to laugh to myself.

Yesterday I ventured back down to the CVNP and participated in the "No Frills, Just Hills" FA run at Kendall Hills. A 2-mile loop around Kendall Lake that went up and down the hills. The idea is to see how many laps you can complete in 6 hours. I decided to just go down and complete 10 laps. I started early since I had a long "to-do" list for the day. Lots of wet grass that quickly turned to muddy grass. The section of the trail that ventured into the woods was also muddy. The only non-muddy part was the parking lot at Kendall Lake! It was nice to catch up with some old friends and meet some new ones too! All in all, a very fun run!

Today I was able to do some heat-training since summer has decided to arrive. Hot, sweaty 8 miles on the trails here near home. The turkeys were out gobbling like crazy and box turtle blocked my way on a bridge, well, actually he didn't block my way, but it was pretty cool to see.

My training for Laurel is now complete and taper begins tomorrow. I need to get my pace chart created and get my drop bag(s) planned. The mental game really begins now...

Oh yeah, here is what I found yesterday morning before I left for my 20-mile run:


Gina had left a note for me before she went to bed Friday night! Needless to say it was a awesome way to start my day. She is leaving tomorrow afternoon for a three-week trip to Italy! She is very excited to say the least and it is going to be very very quiet around here...