Rejuvenation slipped into an extra day when I overslept this morning! The alarm went off as planned, but the temptation for a couple more seconds of sleep was too great, the next thing I knew it was too late to make the morning run. By all accounts it was a wet experience following heavy rain the day before. To make up I’ll be heading out to the beach at lunch time, it is possible more rain could be headed our way, so with a bit of luck it will be a wild ride along the shore!

The trees are almost at their prettiest time of the year for me, their buds have burst open and the new leaves have a fresh look, (it must be the chartreuse!) Despite the foliage being out, the light beneath the tree canopy is still bright and the trees don’t yet make you feel like your being swallowed up as you venture deeper into the woods. After growing up in a very open environment, it took me quite a while, when I first came to CT, to get used to running within the enclosed atmosphere the trees create.

It is just nine weeks to the first Slam race, one of the things I’m most looking forward to is running at high elevation with spectacular views. There were sections of the Bear last year when the trail traversed a ridge and on both sides the scenery dropped away to distant mountains. I would say the views were breath taking, but then I was also working quite hard at the time as well! Last Saturday there was a section of trail that climbed a steep hill side and close to the top there was an exposed section of rock that provided a perfect vantage point over the valley below. While we waited for others to reach the top, it was good to pause and take in the view. Turkey vultures glided on thermals above and below us, while the Housatonic River meandered along the valley and on the far side the Appalachian Trail, concealed by trees, waited to take us south. For a short while I was torn between a desire to sit and soak up the view and getting going to the other side.