Boston Store Trail Run

Don't let this picture fool you... it was cold out!

This morning around 7:45 I arrived at the Boston Store to run some trails on a very cold winter morning. Well, at least it seemed cold because we're not used to this stuff yet. The temperature was in the low 20's. At least the sun was out though... That doesn't happen very often in N.E. Ohio once we hit November.

I was planning on meeting my friend Derek somewhere around this area since he was starting from Lock 29 at 7:00 and then running down Rt. 303 to hop onto the trails near Pine Lane and head north. However, as time went by without me seeing him, I realized that he must have changed course or already had passed me. I learned later on that he followed the group he was with over to the trails on the other side of Rt. 303 by the Boy Scout camp. No worries though... I followed the Buckeye Trail until I came up to the Turnpike overlook...

After admiring the view for a bit I started running again. As soon as I did I saw 2 runners heading towards me. I said hello (their names were Dan Lisy and Lindsey Loftus I believe) and asked them where they were heading. They told me they were going past the Boston Store towards Snowville Rd. Since it's always better to run with other people I told them I'd join them. From that point on we were moving at a pretty brisk pace and I was wondering if this was a smart move since I am still recovering from my 70 miler a few weeks ago. I tried to stick with them though and only walked here and there on a few of the hills. They made a quick stop at the Boston Store and then we continued up towards Blue Hen Falls. As we passed Blue Hen and neared the top of that hill they said they would be turning around. Since I could feel my legs getting a little heavy I figured I should probably head back as well.

It's a lot of fun once you reach the top of these steps though because it's all downhill back to the car. Once I got back to the Boston Store I saw Maria, Roger, and Debi, and talked with them for a bit. It was kind of a surprise to see Maria since she has been off due to an injury for awhile, but it was nice to see her back out there on the trail. I probably only got in about 5 miles or so today, but they were quality miles and helped to loosen up the legs some more.

On a side note... I'm excited to announce today that Matt Folk was added to the list of guest speakers who will be chatting in the TeamPR chat room. He will be speaking on Tuesday, January 22nd at 8 PM. Matt is one of the country's best road runners/marathoners and lives right here in our backyard in Canfield, OH. His most recent accomplishment was a 39th overall finish at the Olympic Marathon Team Trials on Nov. 3rd in New York with a career-best time of 2:19:47.