Change of scenery required

Friday, April 23, 2010


I really need an event to keep me motivated…and I’m not so different from so many people trying to stick with the grind of working out every day. Yeah…I know I talk all about if it’s fun you’ll keep doing it...but sometimes I just want to blow it off. There’s always tomorrow.

I didn’t though…blow it off, that is. I found myself in the Chagrin Falls area towards the end of my day and decided I needed a change of scenery. I always pack at least two forms of exercise in my car for just such an occasion – running gear and a loaded backpack for serious hiking. It was a run day and I headed for the South Chagrin Reservation. The park isn’t as big as North Chagrin, but I like running the trail that runs along the Chagrin River from Squaw Rock north to the Polo Fields, which is typically devoid of human traffic. Today was no exception.

I did cross paths with some horses, though, and was careful to stop and walk – approaching them slowly. Most horses aren’t spooked by runners on the trails, but for the occasional one that is – I take precautions. I’d once approached one from the rear and the horse gave a little buck when it heard me, unseating the rider and landing him flat on his back. He was okay, but I felt so bad that I never again approached a horse without plenty of precautions.

Though I enjoyed the run, I was struggling a little. My legs were tired and sore from the faster pace of yesterday’s run, so I resigned myself to a slower pace. The trail is flat as a pancake, so at least no hills to suck the life out of me.

I managed to put in one hour of running before packing it in for home. Later that night, Jack asked me to take him to East Coast Custard – the best damned ice cream in Greater Cleveland. Now…I’ve steered clear of the place since my workout walk there about a month ago. I had guaranteed any pr’s were worth a trip to ECC, so I had to go. I went in, looked over all the great stuff I like to order and got…nothing. Yeah baby…I fought the urge. We elected to leave quickly because I was breaking into cold sweats, though. Hey…maybe I should get something whenever I pr. Wished I’d thought of that earlier…

Run duration: 60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140.

Calories buduring workoutrned : 1,020.