The places running takes you…
I love racing because it takes me places I would normally never venture to… like running with 40,000 others over the Verrazano Bridge from Staten Island into Brooklyn, the energy lab in Kona, the 42nd yard-line of Sun Devil Stadium, the middle of the Pacific Coast Highway, Baltimore Zoo, La Crema Vineyard, Independence Avenue in D.C., Little Italy in Chicago, just to name a few…
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of running in The Cleveland National Forest in the Billy Goat ½ Marathon. Somewhere half way up the 2400 ft. climb, I was reminded of the above cherished races and the gift of being able to experience running in different states, cities, parks, terrain and most of all, with other people who love to run too.
The Billy Goat was a great warm-up race for the Harding Hustle 30k which is less than 3 weeks away. Running trails is new for me and a welcome change. I faced many new challenges out there Saturday. It’s one thing to go push yourself to go faster when you are on a paved road and can see the next aid station. But when you are climbing up a dirt trail with a camelback strapped to your back and unaware of what lies around the next winding turn, it’s a whole new mental game. I think I’m in love!
