Stay the course

When the sisters get together (which we've already established is not nearly often enough) we tend to have a few constants: beer, running, fun and (almost always) children are involved.  We stay the course in regards to these consistencies as they have served us well over the years.  I mean, look at all the cool stuff we've done and we're both still alive and nobody has been arrested (yet)!  Anyhow, this past weekend was the Annual Smith Siblings Camping Weekend and we managed to fit in all of our favorite things in just three short days!  Here's what happened...


First of all, all eight of the cousins from Kara to Marilynn were present and accounted for at all times.  Let's just say that right up front and clear up any allegations that children were lost, damaged or stolen, or rumors that us parents were irresponsible and out-of-control because these things are simply not true!

Jumping fun!!
No children were harmed during this photo shoot!

So now about the beer.  Friday night, we definitely drank some beer and some passion fruit something or other and some vodka and probably something else, but I don't remember and things got a little hazy. We definitely woke up feeling the effects Saturday morning, but that did not stop us from our planned morning run and we even talked our bro into joining for the last 2 miles! YEAH!
(sidenote our brother last ran about 15 years ago when he was trying to impress a girl in college so it was kind of a big deal). 

He is now married with three kids and only runs if being chased by a coyote or cougar which hasn't actually happened yet; so basically he hasn't run in roughly 15 years! You'll be glad to know he does have a plan in place should a coyote or cougar attack him some day and if you want to hear about his detailed plan, you'll have to sit around a campfire with him and share a drink!

Photo caption: Vern contemplating the meaning of life while donning horns that were earned at Warrior Dash a few years back. Photo Credit Amy West

Honestly though, there is certainly something about a campfire that puts people at ease; Maybe it's the smoke you inhale, or the mystical colors of the flames.  Or maybe it is the camaraderie of the whole thing that makes it so special, but a good old-fashioned bonfire, certainly is something that brings people together and produces interesting conversations.  Gathering around a fire makes people feel contemplative, less inhibited, more social and I dare say happier.  So we drank beer and sat around talking about our deepest thoughts and our wildest dreams most of which involve running and/or beer drinking, cool things we hope to do with our kids and of course all of it is about having fun!  We thought about putting on head lamps and going running in the middle of the night like the crazy people in the picture below, but it turns out we all have fears of being eaten by a cougar (or beer, I mean bear) so we stayed close to the safety and security of the fire and didn't get a night run in this year.

 

Photo caption:  Cool Kids Run Group       (yes, Vern used to be a "cool kid")

This photo captures one of my favorite night time runs ever which happened last fall at Coast Guard Park!  It was raining and cold and the whole thing was nearly cancelled because of the horrible conditions; But we stayed the course and headed out on the trails which was of course exponentially more awesome because of the inclement weather!

As a random bonus, I got to perform a side-by-side test drive on a sleek pair of Solomon trail shoes while we were camping. Mird had just bought some new shoes and there was a half mile trail loop surrounding camp so I stayed the course and ran a couple loops in the shoes.  On the left is my old stand by shoe the Adidas Vigor 4.  I've run in these shoes for years and now have to search online to find them because they are no longer manufactured.  I bought them slightly used on e-bay for $25... and on the right weighing in at one pound 2 ounces is the super fast, super light weight, champion of the world Solomon Speed Cross 4.  For the record, I do like the fancy Solomon shoes better, but they are a lot more expensive so I haven't ordered a pair, yet... 

After my test drive, we celebrated with coffee and cereal and showed off our huge pipes to all the kids! Then we had a Vanilla Ice dance off, packed up and headed home!

Photo credit Cody William Daniels

 

Despite all the beer and the fear, oh and the complete lack of following any type of a formal training plan, we really hope to stay the course and finish the North Country Trail Half Marathon in a month and if we happen to do so faster than we did last year, well that would be the icing on our cake...Here we are at the finish line in 2016!!! Can't wait to relive that moment in another month or so!

Vern and Mird OUT!