Meager Run. Mighty Event

Today started with a measly little 2 mile run with Taz long before sunrise; he with a blinky light, me with a headlamp.  But it was a monumental day: women (and men) all over the world marching to support the rights of all. I joined the Women's March on Denver where 40,000 people were expected and over 100,000 showed up. It was a march to remember - and, hopefully, the beginning of positive actions by millions.

Friends Mort & Lysa - standing room only to Denver

We made it to the march! (Me, Mort, Lysa and Melinda)

Pre-March at Civic Center Park - lots of signs, lots and LOTS of people!

A very good day in Denver

Big test for that daily run thing

So.... the evening and day following my last post, we got a foot of snow and the thermometer forgot that it was supposed to show actual positive degrees. Yet still I ran.

The first day, with piles and piles of fresh snow everywhere, I managed to get in an 8-mile run along bike paths to/fro a doctor's appointment. Yes, bike paths for all but a few blocks between my house and the doctor's office - and 100% of those paths were plowed. Sometimes Boulder really comes through for us runners! In the meantime, Mister Taz had quite a challenge getting through the snow that seemed to be taller than his legs are long:

Taz, jumping from the shoveled driveway into the yard

The next day, paths had started forming through the snow - making for a very happy pup (and pretty happy runner as well!):

Then the packed snow started turning to ice so running buddy, Connie, and I reverted to roads for our Sunday run. I was short on time but wanted a bit of a hard run so we chose the NCAR hill as our running venue. It's a long uphill run (about three miles uphill from my house to the top of NCAR) - but the sense of accomplishment and the view are well worth the effort.

Top of NCAR looking across the eastern plains - well, we're looking east; Taz is wondering when we're going to start back downhill

The next day, Monday/yesterday, was a day plagued with my least favorite running conditions: high winds (sustained strong winds with gusts up to 87 mph) and snow/ice-covered surfaces. I broke my arm once in these conditions (walking to work on ice in high winds) and the day was ripe for a repeat of that. Mondays happen to be the day I run to my volunteer job early in the morning, picking up running buddy, AndyE, about 2/3 of the way there. He was outside waiting for me as usual - but, not as usual, he was insisting he drive me the rest of the way there. It only took three tries to convince me to accept the ride; I'm glad I did! Meager mileage for the day, but I lived to tell about it!

Today, thanks to yesterday's Chinook winds, almost all of the snow is gone, temps are in the 30s and 40s, the running is great, and everyone seems to be trotting around with smiles on their faces!  After a morning of Taz running, exercise class, and running to & fro the exercise class, I sat down to work - my first foray back into my post-retirement CU job since shortly before Christmas. It included a conference call with my boss and we exchanged photos of those who would be joining us on the call - his 8-month-old daughter and my Taz pup. His daughter is cuter, but I sure liked having Mister Taz at my side while I worked!

2017 - Wintry running and lots of plans

The weather gods decided that today would be a good day to remind us that winter is upon us. But we runners are not to be deterred. Running buddy, Connie, and I have been running hills on Wednesdays and, by gum, run hills we did laughing at the 11 degrees and falling snow all the way.  Our one concession to the weather was to avoid roads (leery of winter drivers) and, instead, did repeats on Boomerang Hill behind NIST.  Taz was a bit perplexed by all of our running up, turning around, running down, turning around, and heading back up again - but he sure does love being out and about.

Taz, wondering why we human are so slow going uphill

 One reason for forging ahead with the hill workout: big plans for 2017! As you may recall, last year I embarked on a new quest: run a trail in every state between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. Well, last year I only checked 13 states off the list. Very fun adventures one and all, but barely a dent in the states list.  I hope to make an even bigger dent in the list this year; if I don't get all of the remaining 37, I shall extend the quest into 2018. It's been a fun one, too fun to bail on if the 50 in two years isn't quite achieved. That said, here's what we are looking at so far for 2017:

• Southeast states this spring. Running buddy, Randall, is from South Carolina and has a lighthouse run she loves to do along the shoreline. She says spring is the best time to run in the southeast; thus the springtime southeast tour plan was hatched. We haven't laid out the exact route but I hope to run South Carolina, perhaps North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama - plus a state or two or three or more on the way there and back.
• Hawaii - sometime while Kendall's bro & wife are there at their condo on the Big Island.
• Alaska -perhaps with the same Kendall bro & wife who are talking about a road trip to The Last Frontier this summer.
• We will, of course, be making more trips to Petoskey throughout the year - hopefully via winding routes and more trails. One trail I am keen on running that is not all that far out of the way from Boulder to Petoskey is the Ohio & Erie Towpath trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Within Michigan, I have my eye on the North Central State Trail - a 62-mile trail that runs from Gaylord to Mackinaw City by way of Cheboygan and Lake Huron. I've been wanting to run that trail since I turned 62...better late than never!
• Closer to home, a quick trip to the Dakotas is in order, I'd say. A few years ago I ran the northern portion of South Dakota's Mickelson Trail (during the Mickelson Trail marathon). I figure the southern portion would be a fine trail for checking off South Dakota. And if we're in South Dakota, we'd might as well hop on up to North Dakota...lots of good trail territory there!

 Other than trails, the only other running plans I have for 2017 are to run daily, to train for the Bolder Boulder, and to reach 74,704.65 lifetime miles - 3 times the earth's circumference. As of the end of 2016, I was 1,586.15 miles away from that goal. Thus I run - happily! - in our winter wonderland!