5 in the Commons

Today's 5 mile run in the snow in the Commons took me longer than Monday's 6 mile road run. Ugh. I definitely lost a fair amount of both core and ankle strength and stability during the pregnancy. I think it is likely from a combination of not doing my core exercises for a number of months as well as both not running on trails and not hiking. Both hiking and trail running really work the stomach muscles and build up those ankles, and I can really tell that I haven't been doing much of either. Something to work on, that's for sure!

However, despite taking a while, the run was good. The trails were reasonably packed by skiers and walkers, although as noted above the unevenness and variability of terrain took its toll on the pace. The woods were pretty with the snow accented against the dark pine trees, and the late afternoon light casting a soft glow on everything. In flora and fauna news, I spotted a Hairy woodpecker, and four Mallards on the first pond.