Spring Has (Finally) Sprung!

After what seemed like the longest Georgia winter in recent memory, I’ve been spending most of my free time outside in this gorgeous weather (insanely high pollen count not included in that description) and thus neglecting the ole blog. My apologies! Here’s a quick look at what I’ve been up to these past few days.

Anything Could Happen.

Christmas has come and gone, and it feels like life is slowly starting to return to normal. Our time in Highlands with my family was everything a vacation should be: relaxing, full of time with family, and not so nice to the ole gut.

It’s been nearly three weeks since my last (awful) run, and with the Hot Chocolate 5k looming around the corner, I know I need to step up my training…like now. The temperature was in the upper 40s around lunch time with no signs of warming up, so I bundled up in my favorite running tights, a long sleeve tech tee from the 2011 Gobble Jog, this running top (thumb holes!!) I recently picked up at Old Navy, my well-worn Braves hat, and my trusty Brooks Ravenna 3s.

Luckily the sun came out to warm things up ever so slightly just as I parked at the Cochran Shoals unit of the Chattahoochee River.

This trail was a new one for me, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was crowded enough to not have me looking over my shoulder every two seconds but peaceful enough for me to enjoy the scenery, thanks largely in part to its position next to the trusty ‘Hooch.

There are multiple hiking and mountain biking trails that shoot off from the sides of the trail, but the main stretch is flat and has multiple benches and water fountains along the way – something I’m definitely taking note of for future summer runs.

At the end of my 3 1/2 miles, Ellie Goulding came over my Nike+ app to tell me I had run my fastest mile. My app isn’t always so GPS-friendly, but I guess anything really could happen! Although it was relatively short, this run was just what I needed to kick my ass into high gear for my upcoming races, especially since there is talk of running this year’s Warrior Dash in April.

Its looking like this weekend will be another windy, chilly one. I’m hoping to catch Les Miserables with my mom tomorrow and Django Unchained with Mitch on Sunday with some yoga and perhaps a short run in between. What are your pre-New Year’s Eve plans?