Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

I woke up this morning to an announcement by the Pocono Marathon Committee that the course has changed. Completely.  Apparantly, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has decided to take a bridge out at the mile 19 mark...a location that does not have a detour available to it so the whole course has been changed.

This is the new course elevation:

the red line is the new, the blue the old

As can be expected, the facebook page is filling up with a fair amount of runner freakout. We are obsessive folks, I'll grant you that...but really, those people that are complaining about it being too hilly and a quadbuster are nuts...did they think the original elevation wwas going to be a walk in the park??? No, it is not a flat and fast course.  So what, I like flying down hills & if I have to walk up a hill towards the end, so be it.  This whining struck me as the difference between trail runners & road runners.  You don't hear much whining about hills/mountains/terrain at all during a trail race.  Heck, plenty of runners LIKE hills!

We are 5 weeks out from the race. I am impressed the organizers have been able to revamp the whole thing & are classy enough to offer deferrals to those that just don't want to run it now.

My hats off to them.

I'm told it's still a scenic course...which is important to me...plus hey, if I get tired, maybe I can just lay down and roll a couple miles ;)

Hope it's a fraction of this scenic....Thing 1 & 2 of his buddies running the beach in Costa Rica last week...a classmate took 3 pictures and blended them...she calls it 'Ghost Runner'.  Thing 1 is the 'Ghost'...

Don't you think this is 'Rave Run' worthy????

Roller coaster Saturday...

Today was an emotional rollercoaster. Started the day at the butt-crack of dawn to drive Thing 1 & Other Son to the Rochester airport. It is spring break here & They are off on an IB Biology trip to Costa Rica! Exciting for them....nervous wreck inspiring for a mum!

They were chatty during the almost 2 hour drive.

OMG! SO Steep!

I got an email that they arrived safely...but nothing since. I know they are having a great time, but I miss that boy like crazy already.

It was fun anyway!

Trail ran on Saturday afternoon. Followed a new trail the bikers had marked. It was awesome...till we got lost. In typical fashion, got lost. Yup, instead of just following the trail back, we thought we knew where we were going. Nope. Not even close. Had to climb straight up over a mile. The dying was a close call.

Ran 18 today. I hate the weather. Still. Sun, pouring rain, snow, clouds, wind...oh god, the wind. Would not have finished in that wind had Thing 2 come out and met me for the last 4.5. He felt compelled to tell me my form sucked and proceeded to run me through a 'speed D' workout at mile 15. D stands for drills...but we're too cool to say that ;). Let me tell you doing high knees, butt kickers and some other things that resembled skipping but I'm told was not, was not super fun...especially when he caught me counting it as mileage and made me stop. That was just mean. Seriously though, I would have stopped and not made those last couple miles if he hadn't been there pestering me. He's a good kid, especially since he has the full brunt of my crazy in the absence of his brother this week.

Me & my BFF...3 years is too long!

My running has taken a hit the past couple weeks in a time crunch. But what can I say...life happens. Plus I got to see this gal....my best gal from Victoria whom I got to see in a whirlwind trip to Ottawa last weekend.


And this one....
So cute.

Niece K, So stinking cute!

Life, running...it's all good. Balance is key.

Happy Running....and PLEASE spring, I miss you!








...and I am late posting this...darn computer went all blue screen of death on me....ugg...but I thought I'd share that I had to brush SNOW off my car this morning.  So impressed.