Sunny day on the Quabbin

One of my recent running discoveries is the Quabbin Reservoir. This probably shouldn't be too surprising given that we live less than 5 miles from the Quabbin, but for months I hadn't worked up the energy to actually figure out how to run there. But one of my daughter's classmate's father is a nature photographer and has taken tons of gorgeous shots of the Quabbin, so I finally asked around as to the best running place and drove myself out there to give it a try.

And I'm so glad I did. I've found a wonderful gate to park at (all the gates appear to be closed for the winter) and then I have the joy of running over two miles on a beautiful dirt road (without a living soul in sight) down to the reservoir. They view never disappoints. I've been there in driving snow and brilliant sunshine, and its always stunning.

The climb back up to the gate isn't an easy one. On the way down to the reservoir, its easy to forget that you are running downhill for the better part of two miles. The hills are gentle, and the forest on either side of the road is so vibrant that the gradual downhill isn't noticeable. However, on the return to the gate, you can feel every bit of the uphill for the better part of 25 minutes (for old slow women like me, at least). But still, the sound of the rivers and creeks and birds all around is enough to ease the pain of running up the hills.

During today's run, I began to think how an hour of running just doesn't seem to do it for me anymore. Its not that I want to run more exclusively to get in better shape (although this is certainly a part of it), but more that running helps ease my mind. And, the more I have on my mind lately, the more time I need to work all these things out. The past weeks have been filled with change on all levels--both personally and on the community-level--and its hard to figure out how all these things are going to play out. Running helps me figure all this out. It doesn't solve problems, but it makes it a bit easier to handle all the things running through my head.