Last weekend was the perfect stretch of days for outdoor adventure. The Juniors have been meeting once per week in April, a new thing for us! Usually April is totally off, but this year multiple skiers asked if we could meet up once a week for a run in order to spend more time together. As the weather turned nicer and the pandemic began to take a healthier route in VT, it felt good to spend more and more time as a group.
We began with a 5 mile run on the first week, then upped it to 6 or so following that. Next it was closer to 8, and then a 9-miler with even a few choice miles at a slightly faster pace as we worked on our form and fitness. When official spring training started in May we undertook a 3000m run test, following that up with some 1-mile repeats based on our 3ooom times and getting a little footage to analyze our biomechanics.
So with all that under our belts…we bumped it up to a longer run this past weekend in beautiful Pleasant Valley. This stretch of land in Underhill/Jeffersonville/Cambridge was showing its best side on Saturday for a scenic 13-mile jaunt. Everyone did great, and we enjoyed pastoral farms, tree-lined dirt roads, and swimming holes alike. We averaged about 9:45 pace, which was relaxed enough to keep a conversation going the whole time (ok, maybe not on the final few uphill stretches…) but quick enough to ensure true running and not the lax plodding and poor angles skier runs are sometimes known for…what a workout!
What more needs to be said?
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