Run Like a Child

On Saturday, 29 October, we finally buried our mom and dad's ashes (they passed away in 2008 and 2006 respectively).  After doing that, we headed to a friend's lake house and ate disgusting amounts of cheese and crackers, tortilla soup, Italian sausage soup, vegetarian chili, and brownies with icing!  We spent no more than 10 minutes digesting this and Jessica, as crazy as she is, suggests we go for a jog.  No Garmin, no watches, no plan.  Just a nice leisurely jog.

It was exactly what we needed.  Our friend's daughters ran the first 100 yards with us and reminded us what it used to be like to run for fun.  Children have no concept of logging miles, they just go for it.  

The kiddos turned back and walked with their grandma as we headed out on a path around a beautiful lake.  We chatted and just enjoyed the beautiful landscape. Oh, and we tested out our jumping abilities:

And what better way to end such a run than to lay down in the freshly fallen leaves?  Challenge yourself to go out and run just for the sake of running.  Take away the gadgets, take away the stress, and remind yourself why you love such a pure sport.

If I had the $$$...

If I had the money and time, there are three races in particular that I would LOVE to do.





1) Dublin Marathon - Ireland - Who wouldn't want to run through that beautiful country?





Where else can you find a can of Guinness RUNNING a marathon???







2) Athens Classic Marathon - Greece - I know that this one needs NO explanation for anyone.

                     More awesome costumes!!!

3) 4 Deserts Run - Africa (This one needs some explanation, so I borrowed it from their website - http://www.4deserts.com/whatis4deserts).

The 4 Deserts is the world's leading rough-country endurance footrace series. A unique collection of world-class events that take place over 7 days and 250 kilometres in the largest and most forbidding deserts on the planet. 

Competitors are challenged to go beyond the limits of their physical and mental endurance. Racing self-supported in the most inhospitable climates and formidable landscapes, they must carry all their own equipment and food and are only provided with drinking water and a place in a tent each night to rest. 

The series, named again by TIME magazine in 2010 as one of the world's Top 10 endurance competitions, comprises the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Gobi March in China, the Sahara Race in Egypt and The Last Desert in Antarctica. 

 And if you feel this good at the end, you've done well!!!

Running on Vacation...

When you're away from home, sometimes it feels like you're out of your element and makes logging miles even more challenging. But sometimes, it makes running so much more fun because everything about each run is new. No regular routes to bore you into a slower pace, always something new to catch your attention and distract you from the tired feeling you normally experience. 

One of my favorite parts of my monthly Runner's World magazine, is in the first few pages...the Rave Run that profiles incredible scenery and a beautiful runner just enjoying life. While I haven't quite found a place worthy of submission, today I did come across an excellent place to run - Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, VA. There are paved paths for those who like the stability of the asphalt, and well-groomed trails for the rest of us. It was a short 4 mile jog that took me on both.

As fall is approaching, the air was cool and crisp and it smelled wonderful (who knows why rotting leaves smell so darn good?!).  I only passed one person out there and it was heaven. Finding this place was definitely a great start to my week, especially since I'll be here for another 2 weeks.

Pros:

1. Both pavement and trail options exist for runners.

2. The isolation is refreshing.

3. Even though I was right next to a highway, I felt like I was miles away in a forest.

Cons:

1. Trail/pavement + wet leaves = higher chances of falling (especially if you have the coordination of my sister)

2. The isolation could be somewhat scary. I recommend running in such an environment with a buddy if at all possible.

3. Run routes that require driving are always a negative in my book. 

I even got to throw in some stairs midway through miles 2 and 3! 

What a great spot to do some cool down stretching in.