First Outdoor 5K of Season

The last week has been just glorious in Suttons Bay. We have had a full week of sunshine and blue skies with temperatures hovering in the 40's. Absolutely spring fever is in the air for me and everyone else up north who has had enough of winter.

I've been literally chomping to take my running outside. Six weeks of training inside on the treadmill were testing my patience for an "on the road" run.

With our guests checked out, and my "cinderella" chores at the Korner Kottage Bed and Breakfast done for the day.....my wait was over.

I grabbed my outdoor running gear and my dog, Nestle Quik, my constant running companion and we were off.

The sky was the clearest blue without a cloud in sight and the sun was blindingly bright. The tri colored blues of the water were mesmerizing and sparkling against the ever so quickly melting snow that rimmed the shoreline.

We decided to run along South Shore Drive so we could keep the water in our sight. We had a destination in mind to make our 5K challenge. We set off on a leisurely pace, testing out the legs. Speed was not an issue for this first run of the season. All that treadmill running seemed to have paid off.....it was an easy, easy run. The biggest obstacles were avoiding the mud and trying to keep Nestle Quik from dive bombing the last of the melting snowpiles along the side of the road and pulling me into the snow with her.

Since this is a relatively busy and scenic drive around the bay on the way to Stony Point, it is imperative that Nestle run with me on leash. Not her favorite kind of running but after several adjustments....she and I were in sync and in runners' heaven. We've been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time. Our pace seemed to increase, and before long we were both breathing fairly hard as the scenery was flying by us.

It was so worth it....mud and all. My running shoes were wet and muddy and Nestle had to be bathed off in an outside bucket as she was covered with mud...feet, tail and belly. But she didn't seem to even mind the clean up. She just plain loves to run any where, any time...just let her outside. We both love to run.