Monte Sano... the mountain of health. I love Monte Sano in all of it's 2000 foot glory. It's not really a mountain (it's actually what's called a "col" according to wikipedia), but it's an Appalachian foothill and it makes me feel at home. Brings me back to my days as a college sophomore, making the drive home every Friday afternoon from Mississippi and stopping, usually, at Monte Sano for a quick run before descending the Volvo into Old Big Cove and eating dinner with my parents, who would ask about school and research and mundane things. I remember racing there for the 10k and 5k road races every autumn--the way I appreciated how the air up on Monte Sano was usually a bit drier and cooler than in the Valley. I remember running there with my cross-country team in high school and doing laps before going off to work in the botanical gardens the summer after my freshman year. I miss those days a little bit, but there are actual mountains in my destinations as of late and I appreciate those for what they are, and the new events and runs they will bring. Still, there's something a little bit special about coming home and running on the same trails you've always known.
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