Over the previous weekend I receive a phone call from the dog nanny. She described a separate phone conversation she had with a neighbor regarding a local mountain lion. Well, we have been through this before. Someone in the area loses a dog (yes, a very sad event and nothing to be discounted) and Dept. of Wildlife is called. A mountain lion is suspect and all you know what breaks loose! The DOW guys comes out and puts a Porterhouse Steak on a rock to lure the kitty out of hiding, the sighting is claimed and we are all gonna die if we step outside our doors. Every neighbor within 10 miles thinks little Miss Sarah is gonna become kitty food because she runs a few thousand miles a year in the area. Oh Honestly....!!!!! I have been running the area I live in for about 11+ years. In that time I have seen every varmit out there from a small tweety bird (a Junco/Chickadee) to a Bear.....but never have I seen the mountain lions! Additionally, I have had more troubles with idiots driving too fast on these mountain roads and almost taking my little butt out; AND I have had more troubles with loose dogs owned by irresponsible owners who let them roam free....which are the exact dogs that disappear ! But never have I had an ounce of issue with any wild varmit! So, even though I do respect the mountain lion as a worthy threat, I refuse to sit in my house, shaking in my running shoes. No, it is running as usual and I am just aware that the kitties do live in the area in which I live.
Monday; Feb. 27: Waking up in one of my favorite places on earth! Jackson Hole, WY! Out the door in the 5 degree weather, it was an awesome 9 mile run on the elk refuge. This time of year is especially interesting since a few hundred elk are in the refuge.
Tuesday; Feb. 28: An early start for a 15 miler at home...complete with Traysen for the first 10 miles and the mountain lion in the area! A nice run in the cold temps.
Wednesday; Feb. 29: Traysen opted to join for the first 7 miles of today's 26 miler. After dropping him off at the house, it was back out for another 19 miles. As suspected and given the amount of mileage logged over the previous 4 days, this was a bit sluggish, especially on the up hills.
One item to note is the passage of time while running long distances. Sometimes, as with a long flight, it seems a two hour run will never end, but then a five hour run goes by in a flash! It may seem as though the long runs are a mind set....you are out there for several hours and the mind finds a common level of comfort in knowing this fact. A two hour could just be a daily run and it is harder to get the mindset of being out there for that long? I dunno! Whatever the case, I really (usually) enjoy the long outings where I just get in the groove of putting one foot in front of the other for hours and having to think about it.
Thursday; March 1: Waking up in Salt Lake to a winter wonderland and then an odd day of work, it was time for a day off. (It's March....aren't we ready for spring and flowers?)
Friday; March 2: After the LAX to Tampa redeye, an afternoon workout was the game plan for the day. After weight lifting with abs, wall squats, chest, and biceps, it was to the elliptical and treadmill. A nice 10 miler in the somewhat warm and humid conditions...great training for the April race in Atlanta.
Saturday; March 3: A quick 7 miler on the treadmill started the day.
Sunday; March 4: Waking up in Salt Lake, an early morning weight lifting session with upper body and abs on the agenda; then onto the treadmill for a quick 6 miler. After arriving in Jackson Hole at noon, the elk refuge was calling. With the warm temps, this was by far one of the sloppiest (is that a word?) runs in a long time! When I ran here Monday, the roads and the refuge was all hard packed snow; today it was a mud fest but just a hoot to slosh along for a nice 9 miler.
I never tire of running amongst these guys. The elk and the mountains!
Summary: A great week of running! Even with a hard work week, there was plenty of time and energy to crank out the miles and two weight lifting sessions. Nothing is hurting and the energy level is keeping up.
Total miles for the week: 82.0
Total miles for 2012: 579.0
You do run in some beautiful places, Sarah. So do all of us lucky enough to live in CO. Don't let the worry-warts bother you, Sarah, just don't carry any t-bone steaks with you, and you'll be all right. Cuz you sure don't LOOK like a t-bone!
ReplyDeleteI totally get your time distortion. Our 5 hour trip today seemed quick at times, as we shared favorite movies and other stories. At other times it dragged, as we labored up hills, too short of breath to speak. Lynne & Sandra were wonderful partners, can't wait til our schedules all coordinate with yours again.