8 miles. 72 minutes.
Early morning at my uncle’s place in Scottsdale, Arizona. Whenever I visit here, I run up a beautiful trail a couple miles from the house.
The desert is best experienced on foot – from a car it looks desolate and dead, but up close and personal – there’s plenty to see, touch, smell and feel.
As I reached the trailhead and started up, the sun peeked out and warmed my cold face. I love a good desert sunrise!
3.2 miles. 26 minutes.
The holidays are wonderful, but extended family time can be stressful – especially if you’re hosting a houseful if people. An outdoor adventure is a great way to hit the reset button, extend your patience and let yourself enjoy the holiday with family and friends – while working off some of those cookies and egg nog.
In Massachusetts, where I’m staying for the holidays, we got a dusting of snow overnight. Having never run in the snow before, and feeling a bit of cabin fever, I bundled up and went out for a brief run.
I slipped and slid along the icy sidewalks so switched to the roadside for a less hazardous run. I breathed in the crisp winter air and thought of all the families walking up in the houses I passed – kids eagerly running around the house, clamoring to open their presents.
After about a half hour, with my mind clear, my stress level reset and my stomach rumbling, I headed back to Lillie’s parents’ house for hot coffee, Xmas breakfast family time and some time with my book by the warm fire.
Have a Merry Christmas – and don’t forget to take a break for an adventure if you need one!
5.5 miles. 41 minutes.
Usually I’m an 8-minute miler on any run longer than a couple of miles. While its always possible to push it and run a bit faster, on long runs its harder to sustain.
On my first run after arriving in Boston, I surprised myself by keeping a sub 7:30 average on a 5.5 mile run. Since i haven’t been training extra hard lately or hitting the steroids I’m going to chalk it up to the lack of hills, a sedentary bus trip and a few shots of adrenaline in my system – but I succeeded in surprising myself.
Next time your legs are feeling springy, push yourself a little harder in your workout and set some (personal) records.
