To the Commons

Keith and Cordelia's place, which is where Mom and Dad are staying these first few weeks of April, abuts the Commons, so this morning, Sam and I went over there and Sam got to play with Neenie and Pippi while I headed right out their back door and onto the trails. Pretty nice. I do love running in the Commons. I've been running these trails for years, since I was a freshman at Bowdoin in fact, which means 15+ years! Oh, the trails have changed somewhat, been rerouted here and there, and housing developments have sprung up on the edges, but the essence remains the same. I have fond memories of running the trails with my cross country teammates, with Ryan, on my own, counting ladyslippers, enjoying the open pine forest, the blueberries, the wide and flat trails, soft underfoot with dirt and sand and pine needles. 

This morning the sky was bright and blue, the temperatures were climbing and it was the perfect day to be out in the woods. I looped back to Bowdoin to run a field loop and then headed back along the ponds, through the developments and into the Commons proper. I was thrilled to find that there was essentially no snow or ice to speak of underfoot. I ran along the wide sandy trails through the pitch pine forest and then ducked onto the meandering narrow singletrack out to Middle Bay. There, I hit the roads for a 4-mile round-trip out-and-back to Simpson's Point, the roads taking me along the Pennelville fields. I saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds out near the ocean, flitting across the still golden brown fields. I hit the wind on the return trip, pushing against me as I tried to outrun it. Didn't quite work but it did make those 2 miles a bit faster :-) I ducked back into the woods again for the final few miles, and ended up with 10.5 in 1:36. I was surprised to find that, from the very start, I felt so much better than yesterday. My legs felt lively and my spirit felt lighter. I guess it just goes to show that some days are better than others, and you can't give in or get down just because you had one bad or so-so day. The next one might be great, and you might end the run with a big smile on your face, just because. 

After lunch and some playtime on the swing set, the four of us headed out into the Commons for an afternoon walk. Out to the ponds and back, wandering the water's edge, looking for fish, testing out the water (cold!), picking up the perfect walking stick and enjoying being out in the woods together. Always nice to share a place I love!