Memories

I’m Back in State College again. For some reason I can’t recall the last time I was here; but, it doesn’t seem like long ago. Even though I’ve raced here more recently, it’s probably going on 5 years now since I’ve run some of the trails here. Nevertheless, I still remember them like the back of my hand; every side path, every turn, each hill, the exact spots the mud patches form after some precipitation. And I still get winded on the same hill, no matter how fit I am. It’s good to be back. There’s something comforting about it, sort of like that feeling you get coming home after you’ve been traveling for a while. I have lots of fond memories of this place I called home for 6 years of my life…

I can’t say that I was entirely happy to be leaving the warm confines of Scottsdale to travel to central Pennsylvania at the beginning of March though. I don’t find running in cold weather to be at all enjoyable. I really don’t know how I trained in it for the majority of the winter before joining the group down in Arizona. Running in this type of weather the entire winter is awful. Sure, you can bundle up. But, the intensity and quality of your runs suffer, as well as having a lack of motivation to get out the door on numerous occasions. Then there is the safety issue of slipping on the snow/ice. I can recall several instances where I tweaked something because of poor footing. It’s safe to say that I don’t miss training North of the border during the winter. Not even a little.

The reason for my trip to State College wasn't running, it was wedding planning. It was a busy weekend as Mel and I found a florist, baker, and officiant. We also did our food tasting (which was excellent!) and met with our photographer for a short engagement photo session. Everyone we chose seems to be great and very easy to work with, so that should make things easier; especially planning from afar. 

In between all of that, I had to fit in some runs and a workout while I was there. I forgot how unforgiving and incessant the wind is on that stupid Penn State outdoor track. It’s seriously just a wind tunnel. I was doing 500’s and it was pretty miserable. The effort was good, but my 200 splits were ridiculous. 30 point for the first 200 followed by 35 for the second 200; thanks to the 35 mph wind that felt like hitting a wall as you came around the corner. Now I remember why I pretty much never had a good workout outdoors the entire 5 years I was there…

Despite the cold, it was a very productive weekend and it was nice to see my whole family again. However, I certainly wasn’t upset boarding the plane knowing I’d be stepping off into 70 degrees!

We have a pretty intense week of training, so I should have some good workout updates next week. Stay tuned…

   - Linc