Well Easter was quite pleasant indeed. I woke the morning to a bright sunny day here in Big Bear, and immediately recognized the temperature was a little warmer than the previous days. Instantly, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to get outside and RUN!

That’s right I haven’t put on the running shoes in four months. It was the first time since October that I didn’t feel a relentless chill nipping at my spine or frigid air overwhelming my lungs.

I was ecstatic to finally have the opportunity to have a comfortable run in the great outdoors, without worrying about cold temps. I dusted off my running shoes, threw on some comfy duds, filled up a water bottle, clipped on my pedometer and set my IPod to random shuffle. The adrenaline was pumping!

Well, I must admit I am a bit out of shape, but nonetheless I was able to get in two miles. This is just a start, a spring warm-up if you will. My legs feel like bricks today. But who cares, the main thing is the conditions were comfortable enough to run in. Alleluia!

During my run I committed to train for the Big Bear Marathon in September. That’s right Big Bear is hosting a full on marathon, which is expected to draw between 2,000-3,000 runners. I decided that I can probably run the half marathon (13.1 miles), and be content.

So let the training begin. It is time to dust off the running shoes and let the high altitude take its course. For my next run, I plan to get out into the backwoods trails and do some real running.

Cheers to running season,

Daniel Pea