DIRT!

There is nothing like a trail run down to the ocean on a sunny afternoon to soothe the soul and put a smile on my face. I got out around 1:30 this afternoon and headed out through the Commons. I was happily surprised to find that most of the snow I had encountered last week was melted and that the vast majority of the trail system there was dry. Hallalujah for running on dirt! It felt so good. It was also nice to feel like I was running strong, so that helped too, I am sure :-)

It was...wait, can you guess?...windy out along the Pennelville fields and on the trails out to Coleman Farm, and while those trails were a bit sloppier, they had drained significantly too, making for much easier running. The singletrack through the woods along the salt water marsh was my slowest mile for the day at 9:39 pace, a combination of the winding trail and the squishy, mucky mud found in some spots. But still, it was lovely.

Managed a nicely paced 8 miles for the afternoon, and was happy to have gotten out. The woods were fairly quiet, although there were a number of mallards in the ponds and streams, and I saw a pair of Common Mergansers in the first pond. Also saw a patch of little blue bell flowers (not sure of the exact name) along the path at the edge of Coleman Farm. First wildflowers of the season! Can't wait for another month when the trout lilies and ladyslippers are out, but for now I was just happy to see some color out there!