There is no better time to run all over Erie county than the fall. I made the most of the season by taking back-to-back long runs in the country this weekend.

Saturday's run was an 11.5 mile loop over hilly country roads -- it's a challenging course -- but it's also the most beautiful one I run. I pass by farms, cows, feral cats, three deer processors and acres of beautiful, colorful woods. I also usually run from a few dogs, too (why, oh why, do people think containing your dog in the country is optional?). I finished the run in just under 2 hours -- not a great time for 11.5 miles, but...it's a pretty hilly course and the high winds in my face didn't make it any easier

I planned to run about 5 or 6 miles on Sunday and opted for 8.5 because it was phenomenally gorgeous that morning. I got out just as the sun was coming up and was rewarded with a spectacular sunrise followed by a bright blue sky with white, fluffy clouds and trees in vibrant fall hues. It was take-your-breath-away beautiful. And, it was pretty much all mine. I ran along thinking that I was probably one of a handful of people who were seeing what I was seeing that morning. It was humbling, really, because we are just a very small part of of a very big world in which miraculous things happen every day -- things that we never even notice as we zip by on the Eastside connector on our way to work -- but things you can't help but notice as you run the trail alongside it on a quiet fall morning.