I'll get back to starting in again but I have to post about this weeks weather.  This winter has been fantastic for running outside.  The temperature has been around 30 to high 40's with no snow.  Well we had 10 inches of snow back on October 28, 2011 and then the next storm was this week; March 1, 2012.  Here's a picture of Birnam Road, my regular route.

Needless to say, running was curtailed but I was able to get back out on the road Saturday and Sunday.  There is nothing like fresh, new fallen snow.  Colors are brighter and it's very quiet. It's like seeing the world for the first time.  I ran in last year's shoes....don't care if they get wet and muddy.

I'm running a three mile loop.  At this point I'm just trying to get my weight down and working on my breathing.  I get out of breath easily on some fairly small hills.  I'm starting to recover quicker once I reach the top of the hill and running on the flats is no problem.  So for this month I'm going to keep running 3 miles five times a week and maybe to increase it to 4 miles by the end of the month!

I decided to create this blog for two reasons; first so I would get experience creating a blog and second to motivate myself to run.  This is more a journal for myself.  If you're reading this then thanks, but you might just fall asleep before you get to the end!  I began running when I was in Junior high school....9th grade.  Actually I always liked to run.  In elementary school I always joined in games that were mainly running, like capture the flag and soccer. In 9th grade, 1968, I ran the 440 on the track team but I really liked running long distances.  Schools didn't have a cross coutry team at that time.  In the fall I would go out for a run and just run the streets for miles.  I never kept track of time or distance, I just ran until I felt like turning around and going back home.  When I was old enough to get a job I started working lots of hours.  I worked after school usually from 4:00 until 11:00 and ended up not doing anything athletically.  I don't know why I did this.  It is something I regret....working too much and not participating in school activities like school sports.

I didn't run again until 1976.  I was 23, married and living in Brattleboro Vermont.  I remember the first run.  I ran to the local park, Memorial Park, and back to the apartment.It was about 2 miles. When I got back to the apartment I dropped to the floor in agony.....out of breath and out of shape!  I think I gave Barb a real scare.  I was a mess! But I continued everyday and eventually could run a respectable 10k.  I ran daily and when we moved to Spofford Lake I eventually was able to run around the lake, a 6 mile loop.

                                      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spofford_Lake

The longest competitive runs at that time were 10K's, 6 miles.  I joined the Red Rover Clovers, a Vermont running club and ran in there regular fun runs, the annual Turley Trot  and the Fourth of July 4 mile.  All that running kept me in shape.  I went from 200 pounds to 175. 

                                                           http://www.redcloverrovers.com/

In 1984 we moved to Northfield, Massachusetts with our son, Nate.  I still loved running and now had a companion, Sky, our Golden Retriever.  He would run right next to me without a leash!  We ran for years, along roads and through the trails in the woods behind our house.

 I wasn't running any official races at this time.  I think the competitive local running scene sorrt of died out.  There weren't any "big" organized races at this time.  I stopped running about 1996.  The last run I took was a six mile up Warwick Road towards Warwick, MA.  It was an uphill climb.  About two miles into the run Sky just stopped.  He never did this.  I tried coaxing him, encouragin him but he just stopped.  I turned around but he still wouldn't run.  It was as if he didn't have any energy.  We walked back to the house.  Sky never recovered and I stopped running.  I was about 44 years old.

NEXT
Starting back up again......Old Man trying to run.