Top o' the mornin'

A crystalline wonderland with easy footing in pre-dawn hush.

A simply loverly run.

In a fog

Spectacularly bright jacket - along North Loup River fog in Nebraska Sandhills - June 23, 2007

Quite the run yesterday... I left the house at 5:30 a.m.-ish. Twas a bit chilly (20s) and smelled like rain. Within a half-mile, swirls of fog were rolling past (a rarity in Boulder). Within another quarter-mile, crystals filled the air...not quite snow but thicker than air. Then it was back to the rain smell followed by fog so thick I could see headlights on cars coming toward me - but not the cars. All the while hoping that my glo-bright yellow jacket was giving fair warning to anyone coming my way in this pre-dawn haze.

Our grand rendezvous point for our long weekend run was out at the Boulder Reservoir. It was a perfect location for the conditions!
The fog had settled on the rez - which also was playing host to several CU crew teams this early morning.
It looked rather like an old WWII movie with ships peaking out of the haze as they snuck about the water.




Amongst it all, a bald eagle watched over the morning's festivities.

As morning progressed, something within me seemed to awaken as the fog cleared. We were finishing our run on the last few miles of the Boulder Backroads marathon course and I felt myself kicking into a higher gear...something I used to like to do as I finished marathons in the pre-1400-mile-run days. This March day, I decided to find out if I still had a strong finish left in me (versus my more typical slog of late). And there it was: high(ish) knees, long(ish) stride, a bit of a reserve of power to draw on - and willing to be drawn upon. A grand finish to a three-hour run!

Attitude adjustment

Yesterday I was doing a tempo workout with Joe and couldn't believe how excruciatingly slow I was. 'Most every time I go out for a run, I'm passed by whomever else happens to be trotting by. And lately that's been bugging me.
So, today, I was running home from my volunteer job and got passed again. And again.
And I felt the self-irritation begin to rise - but then I was distracted by the sound of a woodpecker, then the sight of the pattern of snow over a manhole cover, then the silence that suddenly enveloped me as I went onto a creek-side path, then the sound of water trickling under the ice... ...and I remembered the crocuses I had discovered poking up beside the path we were running during that tempo workout yesterday, and the dime, quarter and nickel I had spotted over a three block span as I ran home from the tempo, the flattened dollar bill that I rescued from an icy tire track this morning, and the fresh tracks I left in the newly fallen snow as I started my run.

So why be disgusted by a lack of speed, I say, since it's that leisurely pace that offers up so much enjoyment as I meander my way through the world!

Mural along creek path underpass

The lamb and the lion

At 6 a.m., March 1 (just yesterday), I left the house in shorts for a 15 mile run on dry trails, sun, warm, yes even sweating by the end. And on that same afternoon (again, just yesterday), I - along with what looked to be all the rest of Boulder's population - was out and about reveling in 70+ degree weather. Runners, walkers, cyclists, tennis players, skateboarders, babies in buggies, motorcyclists, bareheaded drivers in convertibles, crocuses. Everybody was popping out into the sunshine!

And today....well here are the pictures from this morning's hushed wintry run:

A hint

Not to jinx anything, but I do believe there is a hint of ....non-winter.... in the air. The birds have been bringing out their brightest warbles, the sky is a deeper blue, the sun actually has some warmth to it, animals are frisking about in pairs, and my-oh-my the prairie dog colonies are happenin' places these days!

The clincher, though, came this afternoon. Joe and I hit the 800 stretch of road near my neighborhood for a speedwork ladder. My legs didn't know what hit them. But they sure did like being out there in shorts! Weeehaww!

Perambulating tourism

It appears that sight-seeing on foot was something I got very good at during the summer's run. Yesterday I fell right back into the habit, and what a fine habit it is! The day started with a run to my volunteer job, picking up AndyE along the way. As we shifted direction from east to north we were treated to a spectacular moon set over the continental divide as the rising sun cast a pink glow over the snow-capped peaks. It took our breath away. (Oh for a real camera rather than my meager little phone camera.)

After volunteering, I had appointments to keep and errands to run and not quite enough time to actually run the full distance from work to appointment. Since it was a too gorgeous a day to waste, I decided to take a bus toward town then run the rest of the way to my appointment. Taking the bus put me a bit ahead of schedule so I could travel at a very leisurely pace and found myself on a route I had run almost every Saturday for 15 years or so when I would run from my house in south Boulder to my running buddy Patti's house in north Boulder. In those days, I would be caught up with thoughts about work, kids, getting to Patti's on time, things to get done on the weekend, etc., etc., etc. and ran fairly oblivious to my surroundings. Yesterday, however, I was the ultimate tourist traversing the streets. Look at those remodels! What a lovely stained glass! How 'bout that log house! What an interesting flower pot holder!

Yep, a marvelous way to travel! I ought to do some more of it!

Running 'til the well runs dry

...or at least the water bottle...


I left the house this morning with the thermometer reading 24 degrees. By the time I finished my volunteer work, a couple of hours later, the degrees had moved up to 36. Still cold enough for multiple layers. As I started my run from the volunteer location, I realized I was bored with every one of the routes home - lovely trails and paths tho' they may be, I've simply run them way too many times lately. Since even warmer temps were predicted for the day - the warmest temps we've seen in many a day - I decided I'd just run directly home and save most of my miles for later in the day. Fifteen minutes later, I was ready to shed a layer and found myself zigging east (away from home) rather than zagging homeward. With each step, up the temperature climbed. DEEEElightful!

I was running and stripping, preschoolers were out on walking field trips, skateboarders and rollerbladers were whizzing by, model plane flyers were out in the fields (the little spec in the photo just right of center, a bit above the flatirons, is a model glider), playgrounds were filled with squealing kiddos, moms were out with strollers and babies in backpacks, dads were out with daughters on training wheels, an old fella was walking his cat, people were running and cycling in shorts, and everybody was smiling. Oh we do love that hint of spring! So zig zig zig I went until my water bottle started to run dry, then it was a zagging trot on back to the homestead where I jumped into a pair of shorts and bounced right back outside to enjoy today's golden sunshine ....for tomorrow it shall snow....

Ramblin' Run

Today's plan was to run from my volunteer job in east Boulder to the library in west Boulder. Unlike the last nine days or so, the day started out in double digits! And, as a bonus feature, so did the wind! Of course, being a west wind, I'd be treated to a full frontal breeze. Ah well, that's Boulder winter running for you. Rather than take the straight shot down the Boulder Creek path to the library, I decided to give myself a taste of the wind from every angle and went zigzagging through various bike paths and neighborhoods. On one zig (or was it a zag?) a gust caught me straight on and I yelped "Doh! Doh! Doh!" - easily as eloquent an out-loud muttering as any I uttered during my summer run. Throughout my life, particularly when walking or running, I tend to have a narrative streaming through my brain. During the summer's run, some of it sneaked out. There's nothing quite like running down a quiet road and blurting out about whatever might have tickled your fancy at that moment. Try it! It opens you right up!

After DohDohDoh'ing and reminiscing about summer exclamations, my thoughts turned to tunes. Long-time readers of PJ's Run might remember that I had the Beverly Hillbillies' theme song running through my head for several hundred miles this summer. Well, as tiresome as that was, I must say I sure am glad I didn't start my fiddle lessons prior to The Run. My fiddle and I are now on our third variation of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and that tune is following me everywhere. Not only that, my right arm (which already has a tendency to hang low when I run due to a whole lotta miles logged with a cast on that arm in the early 90s) now incorporates air bowing into its arm swing, right in time with the Twinkle Twinkle humming in my head. Just a little one-woman band-on-the-run, eh?!

As for the rest of my zigzag run: delightful! Neighborhoods I hadn't run through recently, lots of new sights (including the little kiddo's firetruck in the picture above), warmer temperatures, quick conversations with passers by, a decently long non-weenie run, and ending at the library where I enjoyed their new art show then gathered an armload of books to keep me entertained for the next few weeks. Excellent outing!

A picture is worth a thousand words

...and a whole lot of memories

PJ's Run through pictures is now available!
Click on the PJ's Run Picture Extravaganza link in the left sidebar.

Weekend thoughts

After fighting a virus through most of December and falling straight down on my tailbone on Christmas Day, it seems like I've pretty much lost all of the muscle, lung capacity, endurance, and thinness that I gained during the preparation for and completion of my summer run. One thing I did not lose, however, is the knowledge that I have the ability to achieve that level of fitness. This weekend's running brought me closer to that mindset.

Yesterday I ran on the in-town portion of the South Boulder Creek trail. While out there running along the creek and amidst the grazing cows it felt like I had slid on a favorite pair of comfy old shoes....cruising along, taking in the sights (two coyotes trotting through the herd of cows), enjoying the mild weather and peaceful trail. Ahhhh.

Today I ran the Bluestem trail on the west side of town. Of any of the local trails, this is the one that comes closest to what a poster of Alan Culpepper's encourages: "Choose a course you can love. Make it your own. Put your name on it every day. On the trail, the path, the street, track, or wherever your road is. It will always be there for you. It's there for you now. You should be there too."
Bluestem offers a lot of variations - but one thing is guaranteed, you're going to climb, and you're going to descend. You'll work your butt off going up, you'll stretch it out coming home. Heading west, you'll have fantastic views of the flatirons - glowing at sunrise, frosty in winter, rock-solid year around; and on the east-bound trip, the town and prairie seem to stretch all the way to Nebraska. I've run this at the top of my game when it felt like my feet barely touched the ground and I've tackled it when my legs felt like concrete. Today, I was simply pleased to be out there.