The Stone Rabbit: June 2017

My last blog post was in April! I can't believe it!!

First, I skipped a week, then it was two, followed by three and before I knew it....Summer was here!

I started blogging in May of 2008...right before Beverly launched her weekly PINK SATURDAY party! I hadn't missed a since weekend linking up to it (once I started 2-3 weeks after her first linkup) until....a couple of months ago! :(

Maybe I needed a break. . .I'd never really taken one in the all the years I'd been posting. I did decrease my weekly entries from 2-3 down to one over time.....and that one was always Pink Saturday.

Blogging has changed a bunch over the years. For many reasons perhaps I was becoming disenchanted with it...I think, instead of having fun...it was becoming a chore.

Maybe I just got lazy.

But for whatever reason, I am feeling the need to get back to it! I love to document our running endeavors and now I'm way behind so.....that being said....I have to catch you up!

On my last post, several of us from our little running group were about to do the 10K portion of the Easter Escapade!

L to R: me, Jamie, Brenda, Carol, Debbie, Verna

On that morning I was also looking forward to meeting a fellow runner prior to the race. Jason Silvers of The Year I Got the Runs fame. He does an outstanding job with his Go Pro camera, documenting various races then editing them into amazing and fun creations for us to enjoy! He also shares videos of him running with shelter dogs!

He had offered to create a "selfie-stick" for me to use on my Go Pro camera and, since he was going to be participating in the 5K that day, he brought it to me!! He's a great sport, too.....just looks at those blue ears !

It was great to see Sherri before the race, too!

Those of us in our little running group were getting ready for upcoming half marathons, so this race was to serve as a "training run". Hmmmm....little did I know what was waiting for us around mile 3.

Cory Stark took this fun pre-race group shot!

Here is a view of the OTHER side of the "start" before the race begins! :) Our group is on the left side and about half way back.

You can tell by the sky that it was a gorgeous morning for a race!

I spotted Jason in the crowd of runners prior to the start. . .he was ready to document the 5K portion of the 2017 Easter Escapade with his Go Pro camera! I have been working with mine, but still don't have the hang of it. He's truly a pro!

*****Here is the "link" to his u-tube video of this race (HERE). Also, be sure you enjoy his other videos of recent runs!*****

ANNNNND when you see the portion of him doing the count down before the race starts, you can see me behind him on the left side of the screen! Look for the greenish/yellow shirt and visor. :)

This pictue of us was taken by the race photographer! We weren't too far into the run. . .hadn't hit THE HILLS yet!

Here is where the 10K runners said good-bye to the 5K runners.

Prior to reaching this point, our run was on the roads and sidewalks around the buildings of Unity Village. NOW we were on roads, but they were gravel-ish. The first stretch was mostly flat and very serene and very misleading...the calm before the storm!

AND THEN......we hit THE HILLS!!

Actually, this photo was taken several weeks after we ran the race on a day when Brenda, Carol and I returned to the area to do an 8 mile training run in preparation for an upcoming half-marathon.

We wanted to see if we could make it up those hills with more success than during the Easter Escape.

Those were the hardest hills I'd ever dealt with on race day. Hiking up parts of them was even hard!! However, once we reached the top we had a nice flat section! That's where I saw Cory and. . .