Posted by Alayna Sonnesyn on Jun 24th 2021
"Beautiful Welcome-Back From the East Coast Weather Gods"
Although the new training year officially started almost two months ago, I am just now feeling settled back in Vermont with my SMS team. For the first time since November 14th, I have completely unpacked my duffel bag. Life on the road this winter was a roller coaster and this spring was packed with adventures, which is always fun and exciting but also gets exhausting. I'm not usually one to sit still for very long, but moving back into a condo at Stratton Mountain with my teammates, Julia and Lina, felt really good. My car is (mostly) cleaned out from so much road tripping and the fridge is fully stocked. I have my own sheets on the bed and I'm happy to call this little condo home for the next five months.
Made it home for a quick pit stop in Minneapolis to say hi to my family before traveling all the way east to Vermont.
It didn't take long to start planning east coast adventures. In fact, two days after I rolled into Vermont I packed a small bag and traveled up north to run the Presidential Traverse in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Last summer, I ran the Presi Traverse for the first time. The 19 mile point-to-point run includes more peaks that I can keep track of and always seemed like a daunting feat. However, as I've gotten older and maybe just a little bit wiser, these big days don't feel so scary anymore! With proper fueling along the way, including a pit stop at one of the huts below Mt. Washington for the best peanut butter bar I've ever had, and good friends to keep me company, the 6.5 hour run flew by despite a total lack of views and 45 mph gusts of wind. Fun to see the growth in just a year!
The following week, our SMS team packed our bags and traveled north again for a mini training camp at Green Woodlands outside of Lyme, NH. The 23,000 acres of protected land thanks to Bob Green, features endless miles of mountain bike and running trails. The team was fortunate enough to stay in cabins right on a lake in the middle of the woods, which allowed us to disconnect with the virtual world for a few days and connect with each other instead. The entire camp I was astonished that I've been living in New England for seven years and this was my first time making it to Greens! It's also rare that our team is so easily able to come together. We all have busy lives, some are in college while others work or have partners in other states. However, we were all ready to drop what we were doing and make the time to enjoy four gorgeous days in the woods together. I have a feeling it's going to be a good summer of training!