Runners Report! (Trails are almost open)

Running this time of year, for many of us with blood type 'Trail', comes with a familiar routine.  Nearly every year I go through a transition. In talking to other running friends with similar blood disorder, I discover I am not alone.  We have accepted pavement as our means to sustain an aerobic fitness.  We maintained. Some even gained a few pounds.  These late winter and early spring days in New England however bring with them retreating snow lines. What was once feet of snow, is reduced to inches in a matter of days or a couple of weeks. Grey skies are now frequently replaced with beaming sunshine, and the days become noticeably longer. Runners can sense the difference in seconds from a sunrise & sunset from one day to the next.  We 'stalk' our trail entry locations.  We stare it down while running and driving by.  We assess the amount of snow. We project when it will be gone, down to the day.  We wait for the moment we self proclaim that the trails are 'open', and like all eager athletes, we 'report in'.  These are the days of playful slop.  We arrive home from our trail run, with orders from family to leave our mud crusted shoes and socks outside. It is still too cold to rinse outside with a hose. In most cases, the hose still hasn't limbered up from it's coiled position.  Quite similar to how my extremities feel.  My eagerness for early warm spring days always results in a few under-dressed runs, where an immediate hot shower is required in order for me to regain some form of elasticity.  We become re-familiarized with the trail stride, inconsistent stride length, lateral motion, loose footing, etc. With a racing season already inked onto the calendar, the play eventually dissipates and I find myself drafting my spring and summer training plan. This transition period from the winter 'off-season' to the beginning of open trail season reminds me of another familiar and exciting period.  "Pitchers and Catchers report!"  Spring ball.  Players begin their transition from a winter of conditioning, by arriving in sunny Florida / Arizona for training.  A playfulness is in the air, especially during the first few days/weeks.  Eventually it is down to business.