Princess Runs-in-many-layers returns!

There once was a beautiful Princess.  Her name was Runs-in-many-layers.  Every winter she got to do what she loves best...go running.  She was training for a race of the Princesses that happened in a distant kingdom of warmth and sunshine.  To get there she had to run, and run, and run.  Here she is getting ready to start her run this beautiful early afternoon in southern New England.  Since she is training as a running photographer, she brought her camera along so that she could share the beauty with you!

Her beloved bike path was covered in 6 to 8 inches of snow and was more useful to cross country skiers than to a runner without snowshoes.  So Princess Runs-in-many-layers left the ski tracks and headed for the road.

The road led her around peninsulas with amazing views of the bay.  The ducks and birds were as happy with the day as she was.

But why stay on the road when the beach beckons.  So off-road she went.

The water in the inlet looked beautiful reflecting the clouds and the brilliant sun above.

She walked where only her friends had gone before, at least since the last high tide.

That is more than a cold wind making her smile.  It was a magical place to be and she was grateful for the snow, and the sun, and the wind, and being able to run!

The roads were run-able, but messy and more than once a car splashed her, but she did not mind.

She passed by many beautiful houses that she had seen before, and she stopped to say hello to some of them as she passed by.

At other houses friendly greeters stood in the yard to watch her passing.

She followed paths that led to quiet beaches...

...and enjoyed the views.

Before heading back home she stopped to look at her bike path again.  It once carried trains and passengers to and from the city.  Now is carries runners, cyclists, walkers, and dogs.

Speaking of dogs, she grabbed hers and headed back out so she could enjoy a look see at the winter wonderland that the world had become.

Embrace winter and go running!

Tonight I left my watch behind...

...and took my dog instead!  We went for a 3 mile run with lots of doggy "character" stops.  She would smell everything if I would let her.  She is a great running companion when I don't want to go too far or too fast.

So far the leaves are hanging in there.  They are still mostly green.  I think they are going to change and fall of the trees all at once this year.  Friday they will still be green and Monday they will be full of color and on the ground (or something like that).  I was just grateful that today it was 71 degrees on my way home from work.  Amazing!

Runner dog in the bay this summer.  Nice running legs eh!

Welcome back from the farm Lucy!

Tonight was a welcome back run for Lucy.  While we were away at the wedding she got to go stay at the farm and hang out with some special people and I don't know quite how many cats.  She even seemed to get along with one of the cats so I am told.  I wish I had some pictures of her from her doggy staycation.  She also was the only member of our immediate family who took on hurricane Irene.  I am also told that she did well with the storm.  I can't imagine.  She does not like thunderstorms.  I think it has something to do with her first 6 months of life living on the street.  So tonight I took her running as a welcome home.  I had not counted on all of the new smells that came with the storm.  There are so many branches down that every other dog on the path must have already "checked out."

She just walked back into the room and gave herself a good shake.  You know the ears flapping side to side kind of shake.  I think she is happy to be at home!  She has two girls that absolutely adore her and a bay window where she stands guard all day.

Now we have dinner going in the kitchen.  The fries are on a baking sheet and the grass fed beef that was purchased during todays one day only sale at Wholefoods is waiting to go into the pan as hamburgers.  Life is good!

Other tidbits from my run:  after 3 times running in my running skirt I finely found the secret pocket.  It is on the left leg on the shorts.  I had searched the waistband every time and never found it.  The extra seam across the leg gave it away.  I also tried running with my hair down, testing princess hair styles.  I had one barrette pulling my hair back.  Well in the end I just looked sweaty with wet ringlets and a wet "bib" on my shirt.  Maybe not the best look for photos.  I did not feel like taking a picture test tonight so I will need to repeat the test on another run.

I would love to know if anyone else test runs their runDisney race attire/looks.

Lucy's run/sniff outing

Here she is - Lucy!  My runner dog after a 3 mile run/sniff outing!

After a run what do you want?  To be let into the house!
"Stop taking my picture and let me in so I can get a drink of water."

I took Lucy on my evening run and left my watch at home.  It was cool enough for her and I was too tired to do a longer/harder run.  We went out for 3 miles.  Her goal was to sniff as much as I would allow her to.  We saw the neighborhood red fox in the state park near our house.

Lucy likes to run just ahead of me along the white line at the left side of the bike path.  She just hooks on like a rope tow on the ski sloop and it pulls her along.  I tried her approach in my 1/2 marathon in May.  When I needed a little extra motivation around mile 8 or so I jumped on the white line on the road and let it take me toward the finish line.  When you need a little extra motivation to keep you going use whatever mental edge you've got!

Introducing my running partner Lucy

Not only do I run for my health, I run for my dog's health as well.  Lucy is a 75 pound Baltimore mutt.  She was born on the streets and ran on her own for the first 6 months.  She came to live with us when she was 5 years old when her family moved to England.  She went running with me on her first day in our house and she has been running with me for 4 years now.

Lucy is good for 3-4 miles and loves every tail wagging minute of it.  Tonight she impressed me.  I have started actually timing my runs to figure out my regular training pace.  We went out for 3 miles and she kept up with the 10 minute pace.  The temp was in the mid 70s and the humidity was around 90 percent right after the third rain storm of the late afternoon-early evening.  All in all there has been too much rain in the past 48 hours.  I know other parts of the country would love a little rain and we have more than enough to share.

I love a good rain storm overnight, just don't mess with my bicycle commuting or running!