Deep winter has finally
settled in here along the Connecticut shoreline.Yesterday, after I ran in the woods near
my home, I did a short bike ride down to Sachem Head along the water and pedaled
home through the beginnings of a drizzling storm that intensified overnight and
left us covered in ice and snow this morning.Temperature this morning is near 20
degrees F, a change of over 30 degrees in 24 hours.It is Sunday, nobody is moving.However, I get a call from, Charles, my
running pal of fifteen years standing. If it wasn’t for him pestering me, I
probably wouldn’t be moving today either.
We soon agree on a time
to meet at The Spot.I don the same grubby sweats from
yesterday’s run which charges up my dog, Will.He knows as soon as I touch my trail
running shoes it is time to get ready for big fun.Charles and I live on opposite sides of
a thirteen hundred acre wooded area - the Westwoods- so we meet at a split on
the trails we have termed The Spot.He brings his dog, I bring mine.We both have nearly a mile to run to get there so the warm-up is covered
before we rendezvous.We then
proceed down the trail to LostLake and usually stop to take a gander at
the view south to Long Island Sound.We then turn back north and drop down a fifty foot decent and plod up a
narrow canyon back to The Spot.The
total run is between 4 and 5
miles and takes us forty to fifty minutes.
Charles and Paul with dog Max at Lost Lake. Photo copyright Paul Rogen/Roadcycling.com.
It is as simple and
healthy as can be imagined.The terrain is quite varied and blocked by roots, rocks and downed
trees.That is what turns a simple
winter run into an obstacle course.We hop, step and jump our way through the woods.It is a varied, full winter
workout.It is not fast running and
you seldom settle into a steady pace.It means that you get not only an aerobic workout, but also need to
traverse an agility course.The dogs love it and run twice our distance.My dog, Will, is an English Setter and
he can easily put in 10-20
miles on a good run.He usually insists on being in front but comes back to check every few
minutes to make sure we are following along.He also ranges across the swamps and up
the cliffs and rock ledges of the Eastern mixed forest that makes up the
Westwoods.I whistle if he has not
shown in five minuets and shortly he pops up and screeches to a halt on the
trail to turn and head out scouting again.Charles’ dog, Maxine is more tempered and herds along with us.However, if Will comes too close, Max
will give a growl to make sure Will understands what a whipper--snapper he
is.
Charles and I have not
only shared our running, we also have shared our thoughts and worries.We are near in age and both have three
grown children nearly the same age.Over the years, we have covered every topic from sports to sex.We range over the entire spectrum of
kids, work and the world.We used
to coach boys soccer together many years ago.Neither of us remembers when we first
started to run together, but it must have grown out of the coaching and need to
keep up with our growing kids.Over
the years, we have sailed, hiked, skied and vacationed with our families
together.He knows most everything
about my family, my work, my politics, and my views of the changing world.And, I know his. Trail running affords us plenty of time
to exchange thoughts.The woods are
very quiet, especially in winter.We never have to keep an eye out for traffic.And we never need to worry about our
dogs getting hit or becoming traffic hazards.
Charles and Paul running. Photo copyright Paul Rogen/Roadcycling.com.
We plan on running
together well into our eighties.That gives us twenty plus more years to run.It ought to be easy to keep up the pace
into our advancing years as trail running has some real physical
advantages.There is no jarring
that happens on the road or other hard surface.It is too chopped up to engender any
repetitive motion injuries.Seldom
is one stride like the previous one.It helps ones balance and keeps sharp small motor coordination.It clears the head as all running does,
but with the added advantage of quiet woodland serenity.We often have an entire five mile run
and see no one.It is aesthetically
dynamic with the season.We both
prefer the winter as the deciduous woods are more open and bugs are absent,
usually the mind clutter of the week leaves in the first mile.I have never returned from a Westwoods
run and not been better, much better, for it. It helps to set up a good
weekend.
It is also true that
winter running is a good set-up for a strong cycling season.Running covers all the bases: it is
aerobic, it works all the lower and core muscles and it is independent,
free.It is hard to cycle year
around in northern climes. Running
is also a simple antidote to cycling burnout.Woods running fits with cycling because
it is in keeping with `low impact workout approaches.It also is outdoors which really appeals
to me.I have never functioned too
well indoors and I get upset with the foolishness of driving to a building to
pay money to a young person to yell at you to pedal harder while listening to
some techno clang which can really upset my stomach.
There are some
downsides.You can trip and
fall.You can turn an ankle.In the summer, you can get bit by
bugs.You can get lost.You can lose your dog.All these things have happened to us and
will all happen again.I am on my
third dog since Charles and I began running together. Will ought to last six to eight more
years easily.He is a star runner
capable of major jaunts that inspire me to keep trotting after him.I need to stay in good shape to keep up
with him even if I do just a quarter of his distance.I don’t tell Will, but I am planning to
get a dog or two after he is gone. As far and Charles goes, I plan on
keeping him as a trail running partner as long as he will tolerate me.I bet that will last for the next twenty
years.
Will at rest in snow. Photo copyright Paul Rogen/Roadcycling.com.
