The Hay is in the Barn

"The hay is in the barn."

I've heard it now for several years with relation to the big races, usually the Boston Marathon.

The first time I heard it, it was Victoria Hatem saying it, at the tail end of one of the Boston training cycles of the past decade.  I just looked at her weirdly.

Andrew heard it from his high school cross country coach, the legendary Senor, Phil Maia.

But what the hell does it mean?

A quick Google search will yield results that tell you it's a sports expression that means preparations are over, the athletes are ready for the event.  It first became popular among college football coaches, dating as far back as 1950 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Shocking, I know.

It got co-opted by runners, especially marathoners, in the late 1990s.

So, that history lesson aside, why dedicate this blog post to this piece of sports folklore?

Because for Heather Cook, the long and winding road to her first Boston Marathon officially wrapped up with a 10 mile exploratory jaunt around the trails of Easton and Stoughton on Sunday, with dad and big brother in tow.

So yeah, for Heather, the hay is in the barn.

Leaving Heather's Stonehill College dorm, they're both in varying stages of readiness.

A quick shortcut through the meadow and adjacent trails to get to downtown Easton

Running past the Farmer's Daughter, where the line's always out the door, but the food is fine!

Passing through the center of Easton, we run past the Rockery Memorial Cairn.  This is a war memorial designed by American landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted (who I've written about in several past blogs.)  His work is everywhere!

It was created in 1882 as a memorial for North Easton's citizens lost in the Civil War, and consists of boulders heaped into a long asymmetric mound across a rustic archway.

Down past Ames Long Pond, home of some mighty fine bass fishing, Andrew is making funny faces to try to distract the cameraman

Cutting through Ames Pond, we had the road all to ourselves

One of the most scenic stretches of the run

Dad and daughter, step-for-step

Andrew quite enjoys hurdling the obstacles along the trail runs

As readers of this blog know, I'm a HUGE fan of trail running.  Better on the knees and hips, and connects you with your running in a way that no pavement can.  Heather is coming around, and with the exception of the occasional errant thorn, seems to enjoy it as well.

The Old Man of the Mountain blazes his own trail

Moments after this shot was taking, this beaming Heather disappeared as she stepped into a small puddle along the course, wetting a foot.  Birds for miles around scattered with the blood-curdling scream that pierced the wooded silence.

Heather takes the brook crossing as delicately as befits a woman of her stature. 

Her brother?  He just tromped right on through. 

The bridge to the home stretch, back on campus at Stonehill. 

At run's end, a thank you and high five betwixt brother and sister.  They logged many a mile together this winter.  And they're still talking to one another. 

Always time for a Snapchat at run's end. 

And that's a wrap, 2017 training season! On to Hopkinton!