Animals on parade

Since the big snows started rolling through Boulder, sightings of four-legged creatures have been rare: no coyotes, no foxes, no deer. However, there have been bunny rabbits. On the coldest, windiest, snowiest days, the mighty bunny could be seen out hip hopping about - quite the hearty winter beast.

Then, yesterday, while out running a trail near town, there was a string of verrrry tiny paw prints. And bingo! Out popped a mouse! Then in popped the mouse - into a hole in the snow left by a foot print - a veritable mouse cave. Then out popped the mouse and it skittered to the next foot print mouse cave. Another hearty winter beast.

Today's run included a march of purebreds along a favorite dog walking trail. First a German Shorthaired Pointer - all systems on alert just in case there was pointing to be done whilst on the run. Next a Great Dane whose head came up to my chest. Then a magnificent German Shepherd all muscles and smiles. The shepherd was followed by a woman with a Border Collie and a Golden Retriever on leashes. I met them as we stepped on a bridge from opposite ends. She called "Single file" to her dogs and my jaw dropped as I asked incredulously "They know how to do that?!" She grinned and said "Well, no - but we try."

I moved on past that trail and through a couple of neighborhoods, wound through a park and entered another neighborhood just in time to see a car coming down a road, followed by a gorgeous Akita, followed by a fellow with a leash calling for the Akita. The car turned, the Akita followed, the fellow continued to call (well, now it was more like yelling). I turned in the same direction as the car and saw it turn again up ahead, with the Akita still chasing after it. I looked behind me to see where the yelling fellow was; he was turning around and I figured he was going for his car to go chase after the Akita chasing after the first car. By the time I got to the last corner where I'd seen the car and the dog, the dog was running back. So I called it and turned to retrace our steps. He cocked his head, cogitated a moment and decided to follow. I kept playfully calling and it kept happily running alongside. When we got to the corner where I had first seen the chase transpire, the Akita hesitated, I said let's go, and it bounded towards a driveway - where the yeller greeted it, still yelling. I turned back around and discovered that a car that had paused at an intersection while the dog and I ran by had its front wheels jammed into a huge snow crevasse that crossed the intersection. I stopped to push, someone else came along to help push, and eventually the wheels broke free of the "Grand Canyon" as the other pusher referred to it.

Fun times running in Boulder these days!

A couple of running-particular side notes:

1. I finished my first run at 12:30 today (2.5 hours of running), finished eating lunch about 1:30 or so then went for my second run around 3:30. My legs were ready for the second run but my stomach was not. I'm going to have to work on that since the Big Run will involve a whole lot of run time with fairly short gaps for eating inbetween.
2. I'm tired. Probably the most bone tired I've been since starting this adventure. Perhaps it has to do with running 95 last week, no days off, and attempting to run 100 this week. Or perhaps it has to do with so much running in the snow and cold. Or..... In any case, paint me pooped.