Fun in the Snow

I ran with Bain last night “the other way” up the Capital Crescent Trail. Back in the day, the CCT was a railroad that carried supplies from Greater Washington down to Georgetown. The “rails-to-trails” program in the mid-80s converted the old rail line into a greenway for bikers, runners, walkers etc. In the spring and summer, the trail is COVERED with people. Even in the winter bikes commute to and from work via this path. The first miles of the trail are covered in blue stone and run behind industrialized sections of Silver Spring. It’s a bit shady at times. I had run to mile “0” before but always had noticed additional signs pointing me onward. So onward I’d go…

Bain and I ran past mile 0 until we were in neighborhoods, then exited along 16th Street, before making our way back west along East-West Hwy. The full lollipop-shaped loop was 11 miles. It’s not the greatest of loops, but it was something different. My legs were tired throughout. The pace hovered around 7:00 per mile but I really had no energy.

This morning I headed out into the snow. Foxes love snow. We tussle and trot and whistle and hop. Giggle and talk, rummage and flop. Actually, I did none of that. Again, I was just “getting it done”. Although not heavy, the snow still blinded my eyes (even with a ball cap hat) and I seemed to wince the entire 10 miles. Today would have been a perfect day to run in Rock Creek Park. The ½” of snow is ideal for trail running.

I’ve run 93 in the past 7 days. This ties my lifetime high (run twice) and I’m definitely feeling groggy. All this is okay and expected to a degree. I expect to “freshen” up a bit in the next day or two, but will opt out of any mid-week workout. I plan to take a day off next week in preparation for the 12k.