Seven Miler

Last weekend Brandon & I traveled up to the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore for a winter wonderland get away together. While there we stayed at the Foothills Motel, and of course Deacon joined us :) So Saturday's cross training consisted of 2 hours of snowshoeing in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. And get this... it was for free! Every Saturday during the winter a Park Ranger will escort a group of snowshoers off trails and help you look for signs of animal/plant survival in the winter such as this porcupine eaten tree:

Did you know only four Michigan animals truly hibernate in the winter? And by truly hibernate I mean their heart beat drops from 100 bpm to 1 bpm and their breathing also declines to once every five minutes. Crazy huh!?

So that brings me to my seven miler early Sunday morning:

1 miler stretch out spot around Glen Lake

A beautiful babbling brook, that Brandon pointed out later was a runaway river from Tucker Lake

3.5 turn around point at the Lake Michigan lakeshore - where I'd normally high-five Melissa

The run back went well despite the hills and cold weather. In fact the time flew by! Upon return to the Motel the back of my legs were covered in swollen mounds of cold, cold sign. With a warm shower and time bundled up in a breakfast nook (coffee in hand of course!) they went away. Now, I know that it was an early sign of frostbite. Perhaps, running in 0 degree weather wasn't the best of ideas with only one pair of running tights on.

Here's to solo - running adventures and being properly dressed for the weather :/

<3 Running Girl