Spring in the air!

While it is still officially three weeks away, it is clear to me that spring is on the way.

And, with that, a clear uptick in the running vibe.

I spent the last week back east visiting my new school and enjoying the trails of Central Virginia. The crocuses were coming out and the smell of spring was fully in the air (you know the smell, it is that of life and death together).

This is, indeed, the time of year that I always turn to running in a more intense, more visceral way than any other time of year. Knowing that Western States is less than four months away always helps but what is more is the pure delight I take in the daily training, the daily exercise of coming into form, the daily ritual of getting better, even after all these years. While it may seem mundane to some, the daily grind of 100-mile training is what I live for and is, ultimately, what keeps me going day after day, mile after mile.

I have said for the past couple of years that the races are what make the training worthwhile but it is the training that makes the life worthwhile. So, as the dark days of winter give way to the ever-expanding light of spring I look forward to those runs that get easier as they get longer and longer as they get easier. For that, my friends, is what it's all about.