Mystical morning

 'Tis Wednesday! Hill day! And above zero degrees - right around 20 as a matter of fact - plenty warm enough to be not-cold after enough hill repeats! It was also a low-clouds day adding to the wintry aura of the morning. An enjoyable enough aura that after having done a bunch of 90" up/30" down repeats and a run to the top, we decided to throw in a bonus 2 minute uphill just for fun. Was it really the mystical wintry aura at work or plain old pandemic cabin fever? Who's to say - but it was a dandy day to be out there.

At the top: Waldo marches on beneath the Flatirons

On the way down. Foothills amidst the clouds

 

 

The NCAR campus just peaking out ahead of the clouds atop the mesa

PJV trotting downhill happy to be out & about
on this mystical wintry day

Brisk!

We are in the midst of a bit of a chilly spell - "teens" in Fahrenheit on our hill day. "Hills" for Connie and me usually involves running up and down the number streets in a nearby neighborhood, but with the light snow and thick fog on this brisk morning, we opted for repeats on Boomerang. It turned out to be a rather beautiful morning to be cruising the hill - and punctuated with a bit of excitement toward the end!

 

Up up up we went on Boomerang, arrived at the top .... and the town of Boulder had disappeared!

 

Along the mountain top, we were awestruck by the pines glistening with their coats of icy dew.

 

 

As we descended, we discovered another critter investigating the foggy, snowy environs: a rather fine looking coyote, deserving of a photo. To our dismay, it seemed to become quite interested in us as we trotted further down the hill.  'Twas no time for photos of that shadowing activity - we skedaddled!  A very brisk pace on a very brisk day!

 

 

The Land Of CrankyHip

So I have this arthritic hip - and in the "before times" I would go to PT regularly to keep the hip happy. With COVID, my PT visits have stopped, but I have been good about strengthening and mobility exercises through my zoom exercise class. However, the hip seems to be stepping up its crankiness game - particularly if I put a lot of miles in on hard surfaces or if I do a chunk of downhill running. And downhill running I did do this past weekend towards the end of my trail run where the last 3+ miles were predominantly downhill. The hip made sure I knew it was not happy. When that happens I turn to what I now think of as my therapy loop - a .9 mile dirt loop located a mere 6-minute run from my house. We usually refer to this as the YaYa loop because that's where we take our dogs (Jester in years past, now Taz) to get their YaYa's out. Now-a-days, though, I go there with or without dog and go round and round and round for however much time I have on the days I want miles but don't want to aggravate my hip. It's not a usual mode of operation for me since I generally try to pick new and unusual or scenic or entertaining routes to run. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do if living in the Land of CrankyHip.  And the loop does have its pluses. Let's go on a tour! From today's run, 11 degrees out, light snow, light fog...

When I first arrive at the property, I typically head south, going counterclockwise on the loop. This first stretch parallels the highway so is the noisiest. But! this field to the left/east of the trail is the field where I've had the most wildlife sightings: deer (including a pair of bucks that visited frequently last summer/fall), foxes, coyotes, rabbits, hawks, and geese.

 

 

Curving around east then north typically puts you into the wind if there is any wind and into some shade thus dropping the temperature - so it's where one battens down the hatches of jackets and hats and such. This is also where Taz has had most of his rabbit sightings and chases.

Also along this stretch are several old apple trees. This photo is of my most favorite apple tree in Boulder. It produces rather small but exquisitely crisp and tart apples. An excellent snack stop if I'm passing by on my way home from a long autumn run.

The north-bound stretch is actually in two sections. This second section goes by an obstacle/training course the university built. When it's in use, it makes for an entertaining diversion for passers-by. But the most entertainment it's ever offered when I was running past was when a fox had the obstacle course all to itself and was frolicking around in amongst the obstacles. Those foxes sure know how to keep themselves amused.

Turning west takes one past a community garden. It lies fallow now, but is a feast for the eyes through the spring, summer, and fall months. Everything from greens to cauliflower to corn to flowers and so much more is grown there.

 

 

Another westerly turn and another field where I have spotted foxes, including a fox family with very rambunctious kits.

 

 

And that leads us to the woods and water portion of the run - and often times mud but what's a little mud when you've got woods and water, eh?!

Now frozen, but this is the spot where Linda's dog Farley
 taught Taz pup to actually get into a creek

 

 

 

 I have managed a total of 10 consecutive circuits around this lovely therapy loop before tiring of the routine and I imagine there will be many more multi-circuit therapy runs in my future. Old YaYa has certainly proven to be a bodacious tool to have in my Cranky Hip tool kit!

Exercise Zoom

We have been very lucky to have an exercise teacher who became quite antsy after all indoor classes were cancelled last spring and, to subdue her antsy-ness, started offering her exercise class 5 days per week via zoom. Being a decades-long runner who has done very little else for fitness, every non-leg part of my body has been extremely grateful for this exercise class. And it turns out Mister Taz is also quite interested in the class!

 

Some days he is a bit slow to get enthused, but keeps a sharp eye out to make sure I'm setting everything up properly.

On many an occasion, he wants to show me just how to perform the exercise. For example:

 

A side plank demo:

 

 

Or carefully studying my form to make sure I'm really squeezing when we're working with a "squeezy thing":

Or dropping to a proper sit when he hears J announce a four-minute wall sit:

 

Then again, sometimes he wants to help with that wall sit:

And there are those Very Exciting exercises - like when I'm doing jumping jacks and he is begging to join in.

 

 

On extra special days he decides I must have a bath now when I jump into the exercise class straight from a run.

 

Then there are days like today. He was fresh off an hour-long leash-free romp with Paul's much younger pup, Barley, and I was fresh off a 10-mile hill and trail run. He picked his form of exercise and I had to work hard to convince myself to stick with the class rather than join him in his style of High Intensity Interval Training.  He's such a smart dog.