After a yummy breakfast at Broadway Deli with Doug and Lucy, Snowman and I headed over to Pineland Farms for a run. I had plans for 12 miles on the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge course, and Snowman was going to join me for part of it. I know he really wanted to run all 12 with me, but as he's just getting back into his running routine after 22 days of "off - calf", that didn't seem like a good idea.
Looking at the map, we figured if we started with the Oak Hill section of trail, that would give Snowman approximately 5 miles, and then I'd continue on. Although we've skied a fair amount at Pineland, I've never run there before. The trails are nice for running, wide and rolling. But really nothing is flat. Still, some good running. After we finished up the Oak Hill loop, Snowman continued onto the Campus Loop with me for a bit. We took one wrong turn, but managed to get back on track. Once we did, Snowman turned back and I continued on alone. The trails wound through the fields and then into the woods. The trail wandered along the river, and I crossed a pretty stream with moss-covered boulders and a small waterfall. I saw many trout lily leaves coming up through the leaf litter along the trail as well as a few trillium, not yet blooming but budding. Hurray for the spring wildflowers :-)
I got a bit off track around the yurt, which is at a trail junction of 6 different trails. But after a bit of backtracking, I wound my way back across to the Campus Loop. Then it started to sprinkle. Good timing, though, as I was almost back to the parking lot. Snowman was waiting for me in the start/finish clearing for the race, and we walked back to the car together. I had intended to run 12 miles, but finished up in 1:41, which I figured was 11 miles. I could have gone on to run another 10 minutes, but it was raining, I was feeling pretty tired, and Snowman had been waiting for an hour, so I figured 11 was good enough... All in all, a good run, and great to get out on the course to see how it ran. I think the race will be tough, but should be a great time!
Mirra at JNs
3 weeks ago
2 comments:
Hey, Sparkplug! That's great that you were on the course. I am glad to hear that someone is healthy! Willow and I are both on the Snowman Training Plan, running about 6 miles these days, coming back from separate injuries. But we're both excited, as it seems like a great spot and a fun race. Thanks for the update.
Tank,
Sorry to hear both you and Willow are still having injury issues. I've enjoyed reading about your joggling exploits though, and we can't wait to see you guys next month! :-)
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