Caveman Crawl Trail 5K

I kind of thought things would slow down a bit with Gina in Italy for three weeks, but that has not been the case.  Abby and I have been buzzing around getting in some fabulous runs in preparation for the official start of unofficial high school practices for her team.  We ran the Buckeye Trail a lot through South Chagrin and Bedford.  We saw a huge snapping turtle laying eggs!  We got lost a couple of times without Jerry leading the way, but we always managed to eventually find our way along the blue blazes.

Practice has now started for her and I will definitely miss our time on the trails together.  I have a feeling she will eventually get tired of waking up early to run with the cool kids and will opt for an evening run with her slowpoke parents.  At least I hope so.....I find it hard to explain what a joy it is to watch her bound down the trail in front of me.  Plus I think she scares all the snakes away.

The above photo was taken last Sunday, June 12th.  Jerry had traveled to Pennsylvania sans support and successfully completed the Laurel Highlands 77-mile Ultra. You can read his report here.  We are super proud of him and promise to go next year IF he does it again!  Abby and I ran the Caveman Crawl Trail 5K at the West Woods in Geauga County.  It was a blast!  Abby ran a 25.40 and I was about a minute behind her. It was hilly and I was on high alert the whole time - I think my brain was working harder than my body:  roots, mud, people, uphill, downhill, where is Abby, how much longer!?  Somehow, Jerry managed to beat us home and it was a nice moment to grab a photo of him with his wooden trail marker replica awarded to all finishers and Abby with her second place medal around her neck. The stories flew around all day.  The only thing missing was Gina, but she is apparently full of stories for us upon her return Sunday.