Do I or Do I Pass…. My Race Is Next Month

So this drives me crazy!! The photo above was taken back in Feb/March and the photo on the right was just from this past Sunday. Backing up some, like Thursday night, the Grand Valley started receiving rain on an already saturated ground. You see, we only average 9 inches of rain a year, we are a high desert, 2.36 inches of rain had already fallen during the month of August. Our soil just can't handle that kind of impact. Now, knowing the alarm was set for 4:56am, I was off to bed Friday night, still reading Monkey Wrench Gang, I drifted off into the unknown, wakened by the Boy Dog shivering like a crazy dog. THEN, the whole room lite up and before I could even react, BOOM, the thunder was there. The next bolt was crackling down from the clouds of darkness and the clash of lightning rumbled away. Normally, we see lightning, we count until thunder, we guess at the miles, we think nothing of it. Not this time!!! Lightning and thunder were simultaneous and the sound echoed away rather than came to. It WAS Pretty Radical!!! But it had been raining off and on for two full days and it was raining at 3:30am before a trail run.

 This means that I would have done what I usually do: MAKE EXCUSES!!! No, Not Really. A number of reasons crossed my mind of why I should go and more strengths of why I should pass on the Search & Rescue 8 mile trail run came to the forefront. I was already up and Shadow Boy wasn't allowing anything but worry to consume our day. With the Lead King 25K just around the corner, I passed on the race. Seeing the gutters flow like Niagara Falls during off season, slopping around in the mud, falling on my sacrum, breaking a wrist, or just tearing up the trail didn't turn me on.

So Shadow Boy and I did the only sensible thing that we could do. Watch the FXX Simpsons Marathon and wait out the rain. And we did it well!! Later in the afternoon, we did our no excuse loop, I continued on over to Stoker Stadium, the miles flew on by. Its becoming much easier to find my sub 14min mile pace. I can remember struggling w/a 16min mile this past Spring when I started w/my coach. I powered along in Lane 7 and had the time of my life. The air was clean, the clouds rolled in and out, birds danced from tree to tree, and I simply motored on mile after mile. About the time Mr Sun showed its shape of the evening, I headed for the house, called it a day, and was quite pleased w/my progress. Turns out, I crushed it, in my model of the world. 9.06 mile in 2 hours at a 13:45 min mile pace. Hell Yes!!!!!

Sunday was beautiful and after watching an embarrassing NBC coverage of the Colorado Pro Tour, Shadow & I headed for 27 1/4 RD. What a rush!!!

 I hadn't been in that part of the desert for many moons. You see, when Shadow was a puppy and Sadie Girl was still fancy footing it around, the three of us would go out 27 1/4 road everyday. RIP Sadie Girl 06-12-13. After Sadie Girl passed, the desert just wasn't the same.

The few times Shadow Boy & I went out to the desert, it was depressing. I would see more trash, glass, furniture, Trojans, and new trails created by Red Neck Phuc Ups driving around as if they DONT own the place. So Shadow Boy & I started exploring new surroundings and happy places for him to drop a Duce.

 My hips were open, my movement was free, and I am INJURY FREE!!! I made the right decision by not running Saturday morning in the rain. Shadow was as happy as pig in sh*t. The photo on the left has a Fighter Jet leaving the tar mac. The jet is almost centered and just below the horizon of the National Monument. Maybe you will see it if you go big, maybe????

Our miles clipped on by again. Just him and Me. I Love This Guy

Shadow My Shadow

First Shot and Shooting From Right to Left

Second Shot

Third Shot Towards TheNorth

The Boy Dog Sniffing His Roots

I still carry Sadie Girls tags in my pocket. Everyday, Everywhere, and she will be w/me forever. Her collar and tags are always in my front left pocket. We use to park here, the dogs would run, I would watch planes fly, and throw back a few beers. The photo above is looking West towards the boarder of Utah and the photo on the left is looking South over the airport. Hard to believe that Sadie Girl isn't running w/us right now and that Shadow Boy is 9 years old.

 You would never guess that this was the desert in August. We have had so much rain and the vegetation is so lush right now. The single tack trails were soft and the "roads" were manageable to say the least. I was able to add up 14 miles over the weekend and NO INJURIES as well. Shadow Boy is happy, the desert is alive, and trail running is still so damn fun. Thanx Legs




                                                                         

And even this photo captures the lush vegetation in the desert. By this time of year, its brown as brown can be. Nothing grows after the first bloom of the cacti. And look at that rut from the run off.

BEST DAY EVER!!!