I'm so grateful to have grown up "in the country." 🐄 It gave me an appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors. It gave me a solid foundation and toughness, both mental and physical that has deeply influenced my athletic career. 💪I'm visiting my folks and today I ran a favorite route that I started running at age 12.🏃♀️ The sounds of the nearby streams flowing with melting snow, gentle winds blowing through the trees, tall grass and cattails punctuated by the barks of watchful farm dogs, was bliss! ❤ I spent years doing long runs, striders, hill repeats and all sorts of workouts on these "back" roads. Summers meant heat, humidity and all matter of flying bugs. 🦟 Winters meant braving all conditions because there was no option. ❄🌨 Run and get faster. Be a wimp and lose. I used a basic watch with a second hand. No gadgets, no fancy stuff. The roads were quiet, long and lonely. I'm grateful for learning early that achieving goals in sport (and life) is a direct result of hard work. . . . #running #triathlon #runningcoach #hyperrcatracing #gohypercat #ironman #ironmancoach #triathlete #fhtcoachesalliance #cny #backhome #runner #marathon #marathoner (at West Monroe, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9hcUn1Bazh/?igshid=1wa29bw7qi07d