I had a great day today! My best friend, Mandy a.k.a Cunningham, called me today and asked me to go for a jog. Cunningham and I haven't had a chance to catch up and get together in almost 2 months, so it was a great surprise to hear from her!
After a little chat session at her house (maybe with or without a glass of wine), and a lovely greeting from her 11-month old husky/border collie mix, Dexter, we decided to get our butts on the road. A quick stop at her mum's house to pick up her other dog, Maggie, and we were hitting the trail. That was a flashback moment! We went for our run at the Hydro Hills in Midhurst which, the last time I was there, was a weekend bush party locale in high school...and still is! (Side note: I might try and convince someone to come with me and clean up part of the trail. There's so much garbage that it almost ruins the trails).
There are some great trails back there, despite the garbage in the party zone. Some of them are double track, some are single track and there are some that require someone to be quite nimble and agile. And, of course, the hills...the long, grinding, hurting hills!
It was encouraging to have Dexter and Maggie lead the way, then double back to see if we were still coming, then run laps around us. Maggie was the pace setter, she was happy to trot along in front of us while Dexter tore off ahead to check out the next turn. We just had to keep on chasing them down. Mandy and I weren't nearly as graceful jumping over logs like they were, but it was a great time.
After the initial pain at the beginning of the run, Mandy and I settled into our pace and everything was starting to feel pretty good; the legs were steady, breathing was even...then, we hit the hill! Yep, this one is a doozy. Loose rocks, washouts, wet leaves and an intense steep climb...it's a leg and lung burner! It took a couple to recover from that one, but then we were back at it, and stonger than before.
I think I've found my running partner in Mandy, and the dogs, and we were already making plans for another run before we were done todays'. Might do some of the Bruce Trail on Monday and both Mandy and I are going to start scoping out more trails for some good running.
I found that runner's high after today's run and was feeling awesome. I can't wait for the next run!!! I think I may have found the exercise that is going to keep my centred and healthy. Trail running combined with my other lifestyle changes should make for the start of a great "new" me!
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