Adaptation - Jane Lazorchak

In nature, plants and animals must adapt to survive. This year, with the mild winter and early arrival of spring, this seems evident all around us with the sounds of spring peepers around my house earlier than I can ever remember, woodcocks calling in the night in March, and the red maples turning the hillsides red with flowers when they are usually still white with snow. Plants and animals adapt or else they go extinct. As humans, we adapt too, and over the past year I have learned that firsthand.Every spring I eagerly check the weather forecast to see when the trails might be dry enough to hop on my mountain bike. As with the rest of spring’s highlights this year, mountain biking has come early to central Vermont. Most people were able to get out for a ride in March and ride on trails that were drier than some summers. Unfortunately, a ski accident this past winter has kept me from saddling up on my mountain bike. I’ve been enjoying the sunshine and riding on the road, but I’ve really missed not getting into the woods as things come back to life.

That said, I am learning to adapt and get out there! Running has never been my forté. I have always claimed that I am just not built to run, but all these years I think I’ve been wrong. Maybe I'm not built for running on roads, but I have recently taken to trail running to fill the void left by mountain biking – and I am loving it.

Down the road from my house in Moretown Village is a great trail network – built for mountain bikers, actually. As a mountain biker, I’ve always thought the network was a little too technical and small for my liking but as a runner, it is perfect. I can twist and wind on the single-track, all the time being chased by my two yellow labs, and simply zone out. On a recent run, the forest floor was carpeted with red trilliums and spring beauties and the evening sun was perfect! I felt happy to be back in the woods.

I am learning that life is too short to be boxed into one sport. As your body throws you curveballs, you must adapt and who knows, you might even end up liking it!