Andrew Schrauben

As usual I went for my weekly long run today. This time it was only 11.6 miles; however, all but three of those miles were on the North Country Trail. Making things more interesting was the 25-degree temps and 4" of fresh snow on the ground! I was properly dressed (note the photo Amanda took before I left) and carrying more than enough food and water, and even an extra jacket. My pack wound up being very heavy.



For some reason I started out very slowly - maybe the heavy pack, maybe I hadn't eaten much (I left at noon yet Amanda and I were planning to eat lunch after I got home). So I was slow. Then I hit the trails and it's amazing how much snow can slow you down. I knew I would lose some efficiency due to less traction, but simply plowing my feet through the snow really adds a lot of drag!

Believe it or not I wasn't making the only set of tracks in the woods. I saw fresh footprints on most of the trail and judging by the track, it was a 6-foot guy running! And probably running faster than me. Sure enough about 45 minutes into the run I crossed paths with that guy, who had just turned around to head back. Not me. I saw the spot where he turned and kept going - I may be slow but I ran farther! Slow indeed. I frequently walked the uphill portions since my legs were quickly tiring from the extra work.

On the return leg I stopped for a few seconds at a scenic spot on the trail that overlooks the Flat River. Lo and behold I watched as a bald eagle flew just below the treetops over the river. It was hard to follow its flight since he was brown and white, as were the trees and snow through which I was looking. No other bird around here, however, has such a large wingspan and powerful wingbeat. Any other time of year I'd allow that it could've been an osprey, but they all should be far south by now.

After 2 hours and 39 minutes of running I finally made it back home. During my entire run Amanda went for a ride of her own on the stationary bike, traveling 37.5 miles in a total of two hours, plus 30 total minutes of dumbbell exercises. She started right when I left and had just finished when I returned home. Once we recovered a bit we went out to Chili's for a well-deserved dinner!