Back on Track II

For the past week I've been watching the snow melt. It seems each spring there will be some new and exciting surprise under the snow which has been on the ground for months without end. Most people have only noticed the brown, matted grass and flattened bushes which have emerged, but two days ago I found the track at Weber High School is nearly cleared of snow! I visited the track three weeks ago and ended up walking the entire circuit in snow to my knees, but on Wednesday and Thursday of this week I was thrilled to see the surface is almost completely exposed. I could actually run three quarters of the way around with only the west end-zone portion still too icy to run on. Also going up and down the sidewalk approaching the field was treacherous with ice, forcing me to walk through the snow piled on the grass, but a few more days of warm weather should have it completely uncovered and I can get back to my morning routine. I miss my 5:00 a.m. runs from the end of November until the middle/end of February every year, but it makes me so grateful when I can finally get 'back on track'.

In my opinion the football field at Weber High School is the most beautiful setting of any high school track and field in the world. It sits nestled into a foothill of Ben Lomond Peak, the 'home' bleachers are naturally set into this hill, while the 'visitor' bleachers loom above the roof of the school to the south. To the west of the field is a large expanse of lawns and trees sharply sloping down to the school below and the baseball field to the south-west. There is a gorgeous view of the entire valley as you look off over the school; you can see the Great Salt Lake, Willard Bay, and all of Ogden laid out below. Of course Ben Lomond towers above to the north and to the east is another range of mountains including Lewis Peak. I've seen beautiful moon sets, glorious sun rises and meteor showers with stars shooting in every direction. I've had the company of deer, owls, toads, mice and an occasional skunk on some of my runs. People tell me that running in a circle is too boring and they can't understand why I continue to go to the track each morning, but if they tried it once, they'd want to run there every day too; I should keep it my little secret so I can have my own private track at 5:00 a.m...shhhh.