Running Trail Surprise

This weekend quite the busy one! In fact, I am not really sure you can really label it as a weekend.  Let’s instead go with “those two days most of the world has off.”  Welcome back to a crazy NBA schedule, Heather!

Since I knew the remainder of our weekend would be filled, Scott and I decided to take a morning to ourselves and enjoy a Saturday run outside with Roadie.

Last year when we were training for our half marathon, we included a long distance run into every Saturday.  They were never dreaded, but actually looked forward to by the both of us.

This weekend marked our first longer run together since we moved up to Michigan, and it felt really good to get out there again.  We even stumbled upon a scenic surprise!

Ready to Run

Last week I shared my new favorite running gloves, as well as the adventures I have encountered running on ice.

This time, I geared up in a few new pieces Scott also got me for Christmas.  Warming up my ears is a Patagonia Better Sweater Beanie hat. It is very soft and very warm!  I cannot seem to locate the exact jacket he got me, but I can tell you it is an insulated zip up with primaloft lining.  He got it at a store called Moosejaw, and it is very similar to the jackets I put on my Gift Ideas for Winter Runners list.

The brand is Moosejaw, and I love the shell sleeves, fleece pockets and thumb holes.  Looks like I was geared up and ready to go!

We debated on whether or not to take Roadie with us.  Since it was or first run outside in the cold together, we decided beforehand to stay under 5 miles.  Roadie can easily handle that, so we brought the little monster along.

We started out along the running loop I discovered around our neighborhood and at the 1.5 mile mark, Scott kept straight where I normally take a left.  Thinking we were going to just go down the street and back, we charged forward and Roadie was handling it very well.

Out of nowhere, both of us looked to the left and stumbled upon what looked like a dirt road.  Intrigued, we stopped for a moment and realized it was actually a running trail!

Right here under our noses, was a 16 mile trail that goes through Auburn Hills, Rochester, Rochester Hills and ends at Yates Cider Mill (<- one of my first Michigan outings!).  We were stoked!

Of course, Roadie wanted to stop every two seconds and check out what has come and gone through the trail.  We did our best to encourage him to stay at pace for a while, then finally gave into just enjoying the scenery with a brisk walk.

Before long, we saw a sitting area and took a moment to give the pup some rest.  It had been a while since we have taken him out for a run and did not want to wear him out too fast.

He did great, and I think we were all loving the view.

Next time, Scott and I will have to research a path to run first.  I am excited to know that it is here, especially when we go back to training for long distance races again.  Over ten miles on a trail seems so much more interesting than just circling your neighborhood five times.

Post-Run

After getting inside, I was pretty thirsty and reached for a Honeysuckle Pear Drink Chia as my choice of hydration.  Just like back in the ‘ol training days!

Scott was in charge of making us wraps, and somehow pulled this delicious concoction out…

Cajun turkey, Havarti dill cheese, spinach, tomatoes, mild giardineira in vegetable oil, and a little bit of mayonnaise filled a spinach tortilla wrap.  Nice work, Mr. Hesington!

For the remainder of the afternoon, I had dance practice and it was certainly enough to get me through.

Subway Linner

Lunch came pretty late around 3 p.m., so I will call it linner – what I like to call sometime between lunch and dinner.  I was running around getting some errands done and popped into Subway before taking a trip to the grocery store.  It is never a good idea to tackle that on an empty stomach!

Nine times out of ten I will get the same six inch turkey and American cheese on wheat sub.  Today, I was craving extra veggies and went for a salad.

In my bowl went a 50/50 spinach and lettuce mix, turkey, ham, American cheese, and “the works” in vegetables.  I got olive oil and vinegar for dressing and finished it off with some salt and pepper.

I love that they offer chopped salads now and do all of the cutting for you!

Since I opted out of the bread, I treated myself with a bag of Southwestern Ranch Baked Lays.

I just love me a good bag of baked chips!

Feeling full and content, I set off for the grocery store and finished the night off by making a pot of Chicken and Mixed Vegetable Noodle Soup.  I guess you could say I went into a veggie overload!  You can never. have. too. many. veggies! 😉

Question of the Day

• Where are some of your favorite places to go for a run outside?

I genuinely love running outside, especially when there is something pretty to look at.  My favorite runs are usually lakeside, but I am anxiously excited to check out more of the running trails in our area!