Couch to Beacon: Redemption

Shannon Bryan still can't run, but she believes in second chances. She's giving the Beach to Beacon 10K another shot (you know, after last year's tragic failure. But let's not bring that up).

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June 08, 2007

Blood, sweat and hills

The Thursday running group headed over to Baxter Woods yesterday to...well, run. It was a welcome break from the Back Cove which, as lovely as it is, was starting to get monotonous. That's what I thought, anyway, before the reality of running in the woods really set in.

Baxter Woods, off Stevens Ave., is a great place to walk (yourself or your dog) and it has within it's forested confines a looped trail that measures 1,000 yards (so I'm told). The entire loop is also on a slope, so either direction you go, one side will be up hill and one side will be down. And when I say hill, I mean HILL. An I-want-to-collapse-and-die kind of hill.

Those in the slower pace group (i.e., me) ran 800 of the 1,000 yards, then walked the final 200. Some did two laps, some three. A handful of us hearty folks stuck it out and did four.

The view wasn't too shabby and there's a distinctive coolness in the woods. There's also the distinctive presence of mosquitoes, who were no doubt overjoyed to see a herd of sweaty, barelegged runners traipsing through.

A tiny bite here, a tiny bite there. At least it was a distraction from the throbbing in my quads.

When we finally walked - I mean ran - out of there, I had keep pausing to either scratch something or rub off a clump of bug guts. You know, when you hit the mosquitoe just right and it's belly full of blood smears across your leg and you go "ewww" and look for a place to wipe it, but you're in Baxter Woods and it's not like you have a tissue with you so you resort to wiping it on your shorts, which is nearly just as gross. It happens. I'm just saying. Talk about running ugly.

It was a good change of pace - but don't attempt it without the bug spray.

Posted by Shannon Bryan at 11:37 AM
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Comments

WOW!!!! Your did 4 LAPS! I'm so proud of you! And, hey, those skeeters will learn not to mess with MY Shan! They're not the only blood-thirsty critters on those paths! And up-hill even!

Keep going for it!! You're doing great!

Now...about those cigs!

NOF

Posted by NOF
June 8, 2007 05:49 PM

AWWW I told you to run ugly and you did! HA HA I hear mosquito's especially like Mid-Western blood, namely blonde chicks from Chicago! I'm sure they had a nice feast! I hope for your sake you don't encounter our State Bird....the black fly...on any of your runs! Those buggers are evil. Keep up the good work, the Saco River and multiple adulkt beverages are waiting for you!

Posted by Andrea
June 9, 2007 10:55 AM

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