The last time I was in New Hope, PA, I ran along the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath. It is an awesome trail for running - flat, away from traffic, and surrounded by the serenity of the water and the trees. It is a new reason to make my annual weekend or day trip to the town.
What I noticed while running there was that it seemed to go on for miles and miles on both the PA side and the NJ side. I had not realized, despite the obviousness of the name (duh), that it stretches all the way from the Delaware River into central New Jersey to the Raritan River.
Karen knew that, though, because she lives near the beginning of it, close to the Rutgers New Brunswick campus. And so during a December visit to her place, I hit the trail for my long run. I figured it would be a great way to ease back into distance running after the horrible marathon and being sick the week after.
The miles just flew by - my intended 13-miler became a 15-miler as I passed runners, walkers, dogs and horses, with the canal on one side of me and the Raritan River on the other. Being removed from the streets and the cars and the hills rejuvenated me. I could not wait to go back to Central Jersey and do more.
Two weeks later, I picked up where I left off, cranking out a 18-miles on an intended 16-mile day. I was startled by how easy it was. It felt like I had transported myself to 2007, when distance running was new and each run was like a new discovery.
Two more weeks later, I was back on the trail. Determined to keep starting where I left off previously, I parked my car in Griggstown and ran the 10 miles along the path to Princeton University, and back again, for an amazing 20-miler.
I have not yet made it all the way to New Hope but I did, indeed, find new hope in my distance running abilities. So I made a bold decision:
It was time to register for another marathon, even though (or perhaps, especially because) the sour experience I had in December is so fresh in my mind.
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