Great running weekend

The week went by just as fast as the other weeks this year! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Kirk and I met JP at Egbert Shelter in Bedford reservation yesterday morning. The weather forecast for the day was rain, increasing wind, turning to snow. Perfect weather for staying in bed, maybe not for running... An interesting quote I read somewhere was "There is no such thing as bad weather, just inadequate clothing."

Anyways, we started the run in approx 45 degrees with a light rain. We each debated about how many layers to wear since we were planning on 14 miles on the trail. We all opted for shorts and a waterproof shell. A bit warm for the start but was perfect by the time we finished. We followed the Burning River 100 course through the park to Fraizee house and back. The trails were in suprisingly good shape considering the rainfall we had overnight and the rain managed to hold off to a mild drizzle for most of the morning. A good run with some good friends; the start of a great weekend!

Denise and I went out again this morning. There were random flakes of snow being blown around by the brisk wind and we were really not looking forward to the arctic blast. It is very difficult to get out the door this time of year when the weather is changing for the worse. But, once we were running for 5 minutes, it was pretty nice. The hardest part is just getting out the door...

As we were running down the bike path, I was relaying to Denise a story that Kirk was telling yesterday about seeing two bucks fighting in the woods. We looked ahead and the "King of Twinsburg" was about 30 yds in front of us on the side of the trail. I have seen this 8-point buck a few times before and he is a majestic animal. Most of the deer you see around here are so scrawny and small, that you kind of feel sorry for them. This boy, on the other hand, was very solid and strong. He looked at us and literally jumped over the path in one leap! It was one of those jumps where the deer seemed to hang in the air forever... Oh how I wish I had a camera!

Denise turned for home for a total of 4 miles and I went up the hill to CVS and back for an extra 1.4 miles. Another great start to a day!

The miles are starting to come back again and it feels pretty good. It will be difficult to get the miles in this week due to some extra evening events. I will have to get creative with my scheduling.

Abby and Gina are both fighting colds and Denise and I are bracing for our turn. We are an "equal opportunity" family when it comes to colds. It seems like we always pass it around, no matter how careful we are. Oh well, shared suffering... :)

Speaking of which, a local high-school runner here in Twinsburg, Stuart Edmonds, was chosen as the Plain Dealer Cross-Country runner of the year! He placed second at the State meet a week ago and will be going to nationals. He mentioned that he did not feel bad at all about getting second place. The sport of running has that camaraderie between teammates and competitors that is very unique. I guess when we are out there together running and pushing ourselves in all kinds of conditions, it creates a special bond and respect.

Yet another reason I like to run...