Dear sir or madam... it is that time of year - when everyone starts feeling the beauty and the warmth and the need to be out of doors. We got a later start to running than my usual 5:30 am so I actually got to soak up the sunshine and the 70 something degree morning.
Decided to do a true long run this morning. It brought me back to the days of marathon training... when 16.5 was pretty standard fare. It was a confidence building run for both myself and the boy because it was his longest run yet and it was proof for me that I am not losing "everything." Stopped for water and a bathroom break after about 50 minutes or so but other than that it was 2 hours and 12 minutes of continuous running.
Not too shabby.
Especially on the trails at Anne Springs which were putting a serious hurting on my legs for the last half hour or so. We were fortunate enough to hit almost all my favorite spots on this one run. Took Blue Star again and followed that along beside the water until it curved off towards the Dairy Barn. Don't let the name fool you... this is no po'dunk little barn action here. The wooded trail gives way to a wide open field of long lush grass.
After you cross the road you run beside another large expanse of green green grass accompanied by a picture-perfect white picket fence and a scattering of horses. Does it get much better? Along the gravel road a gleaming white dairy "barn" dominates the landscape. It is an imposing but beautiful structure that is in stark contrast to the humble, historic cabin a little further down the way. The gravel takes you to a loop around Lake Haigler which is a nice respite from long straightaways. This brought back all kinds of memories of painful glory from the Anne Springs Half Marathon I ran last year around this time.
On the way back, I hopped through the grass conjuring images of Sound of Music and Jeff made the comment, "It's all fun and games until someone steps on a snake." This put me squarely back into alert zone as I made for the trail opening.
I felt a little sore and my legs were protesting a bit but when I reached the trail map kiosk that ends the run I was exhilarated. Ran over to the water spigot and turned it full blast on my outstretched palms - raising handfuls of cold water to my mouth. This is my kind of beginning to a day. We walked over to the car and I collected chocolate milk money from my honey.
Later in the day we sat around and shuffled through my taxes before heading to my parents' for dinner. A little more complicated than usual this year but I had a semi-professional help me out. And he was cute too so... no complaints. Then we were supposed to bring an appetizer... we brought something so beautiful it is a sin that I did not photograph it and post it here.
The boy whipped up some boursin cheese and light cream to a nice consistency and refrigerated it for our tax session. Then he rolled cold red grapes in the cheese before dropping them into a bowl of crushed pistachios which I whirled around to coat before dropping on a cookie sheet. Assembly-line style, we prepared a healthy number and put them in the freezer to keep for a bit. We served them in a white, square-shaped bowl and the green color of the pistachio looked perfect. Filling in taste and texture the grapes were a hit but we had some leftover - perfect for the next day's snack as we sat around preparing food for Easter dinner!
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This was a big run for both of you...glad it went well!
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