Siberian Express 2011 & Good Friends

I got to run the Siberian Express last minute today, thanks to some friends of mine. I wasn't sure I'd be doing any races at all this year, but things just happened to work out that I could make it today. Two buddies of mine came along, Scott Olthoff and Tom Roth. I spent the early part of 2010 running almost every weekend with these two characters as I trained for Comrades Marathon. We even traveled to St. Louis together for a weekend to run that marathon. It's been a long while since I've been able to run with them since my changing jobs, so it was really good to connect with the two of them today.

There's really no other way I'd love to run than on the trails. I love being out in God's creation, enjoying the beauty of the natural surroundings. I've done plenty of road running in my day, and will continue to do so. But I'm really hoping to add more trail running into my training regimen this year, especially since decent trails are only a 15 minute drive from my house, and literally right outside the door of my church job. No excuses this year baby!

What I love about trail running is that typically it's a much more relaxed environment than road races. Sure there are some people who are talented enough to challenge for a victory, but most of us are out there for the pure joy of it. Trail runners are definitely a different breed, and it's always interesting to see all the different types of people that frequent a trail race. I love the comraderie, community, and deeply personal feel of trail events. They just seem to bring out the best in folks. Here's one final video to leave you with.......