On Eagle's Wings

Long Weekend

So, I'm at my parents' place for the holiday weekend. They live "up north" (a Wisconsin term), and there's not much around here. There's a little town with almost no sidewalks, and a lake, a river, and numerous farms.

Yesterday morning I decided to postpone my run to the afternoon. Good call, because it warmed up over 40 degrees in the afternoon. Beautiful! Sun shining, sky incredibly blue, and snow melting... what perfect running weather.


Hot Stuff

So, I pulled out my running skirt and long sleeve running shirt, and got ready to head out. But wait, are there any hunters this season? Maybe turkey hunters? Not sure. To be on the safe side, I grabbed on of my parents' bright orange reflective vests. They are big enough to fit comfortably over their winter coats, so needless to say I was looking super hot!! I'm not sure how all the local farmers managed to stay on task when I ran by in such attractive gear. ;)

These country roads happen to be en route to a nearby reservation's casino, so some of the drivers are in a big hurry to get to their slot machines. Fortunately, with my crazy attractive vest, everyone saw past their visions of jackpots enough to see me and move over to the other lane as they passed. So kind.

HOT STUFF!  Look out!

Country Road View
How do you stay visible on country runs?

Confession

I'll admit, I have not run much since my half marathon two weeks ago. Between recovery time, the cold weather, and the chaos of work/home life in the wake of being gone, it's honestly been difficult to make the time. Also, my first run out after the race was what I'm coming to accept as a "bad run." I've been reassured by the BF and other friends that "that happens," but this was new to me. Sure, I've had runs that were not as smooth as others, but for that first post-13.1 run, I felt like I was running under water. I couldn't believe that just days before I comfortably ran a nice, albeit slow, half marathon.

Fortunately, after yesterday's country road run, my discouragement from my underwater run has passed. Yesterday felt great! My runny nose took a hiatus while I ran, which was nice. I took a pretty fast-for-me pace, and held it fairly steady. Even heading into some note-worthy wind, I did well. I felt comfortable, I enjoyed my surroundings, and I was once again in the "I'm a runner" groove.

Yay!


Soaring above

My highlight of this backwoods run was my running partner. Well, I guess it was more of a travel partner. I saw a bald eagle! We journeyed together for maybe half a mile, and I gladly slowed my pace to look up and appreciate its beauty. It soared low enough above me that I could make out all its colors and the detail of every feather. So beautiful.

After a while, Mr. Eagle felt the need to stay back and enjoy the open field. I continued on into another wooded section and headed back to my parents' place. Returning home, all lit up and refreshed, I shared the news of my eagle sighting with my family. The munchkins were unimpressed, and my dad explained that it would be more surprising if I did NOT see an eagle while being outside around here. Nonetheless, I felt inspired and energized, glad to be back into a groove again.

I felt once again glad that I am a runner. Glad, even if sometimes my reflective vest clashes with my running skirt. ;)

Thanks for reading.