Today was long run day and that’s a good thing.  I came to the sport of triathlon from running and nothing is more relaxing to me than an easy pace long run outside in nature.

I am fortunate to have an amazing county park a few miles away from home.  It’s a fantastic place with both dedicated running and cycling lanes.  I do the vast majority of my long runs in this park and when the weather is good, a great deal of cycling there too.

Today I had an 85 minute long run scheduled and with relatively mild weather scheduled, I was excited to go run in the park.  Last year a pair of Bald Eagles decided to make the park their home and they have just returned to the park. They are busy adding to their nest and the local community is hopeful they will be successful in raising some chicks next year.

As I drove into the park late this afternoon, I was lucky enough to see one of the eagles at the nest.  It was so cool and put me in a really good mood for my run.  Running has been a struggle for me this week, so I was hoping that this was good omen.  Turned out it was.  Today’s run was a good one. 

Long runs for me are truly enjoyable.  The pace is not demanding and they are long enough to allow me to do some serious thinking.  This afternoon I got to think about the week ahead.  I have some travel to do mid-week.  I was able to think about how to both manage training around it and also spent some time thinking about the meetings I have while on the road.

As my mind wandered, I happened to glance down at my watch and realize that my pace was perfect for a long run and also realize I was feeling good.  In fact, the longer I ran today, the better I felt.

I finished my run truly grateful.  Grateful for the fact that I have the ability to run this far and to be able to relax and enjoy it.  Grateful for having such a great park to run in.  Grateful for a truly supportive wife and family. Today was a really good day !!