Weekend 15DEC-17DEC

Fri – it was a long day of travel after a morning at the job site:  Cleveland MS to Memphis TN across the cotton fields of northern Mississippi and the upper delta via car.  Then a flight from Memphis to Chicago and then from Chicago to Denver and then the ride home. 

I hit the door at 11PM.  TZ was out at a concert, JZ was out with friends and so I did what was necessary:  laced them up for five miles.

Sat – nice sunrise – good to be home.  The Lac Amora loop in the afternoon (7.7 miles)


Enjoyed a little hometown hoops with the Eagles taking on HF in the evening.  Eagles win!

Sunday was the Slog.  It is the fifth running of this affair.  We did a different route than past years, hitting a bunch of new places in Louisville and Lafayette.  We ended up getting in 23 plus miles.  It was a smaller crew and we limited the time we spent at any stop so the whole affair was done by 7.  It helped that we did not have to jump any fences this year.  Nonetheless, names will be kept confidential and we limit the photo evidence by design so that those with interviews for jobs Monday morning are not incriminated. 
 

The bigger run on Sunday bumped me over 80 miles on the week – the first time I have seen that since June.  My legs were pretty beat most of the day on the Slog, but it is a gift to be able to get around like that in any case and share some laughs, some ridicule and sarcasm with great guys.

Solstice Slog IV

So this idea of a run that hits several of the local establishments that first started in 2013 has continued on for its fourth year.  Each year gets a little bigger in regards to participation.  We had as many as 18 folks in the mix this year.

Thankfully, nobody lost their phone or got stuck in trying to climb a link fence or was hit by a car (it was close) or passed out in a bathroom.  There was a dog found and returned to its an owner, a pull up contest where a Nolans finisher could not do a single pull up, and a showing of donkeys.  The round trip of 20 miles and 7 stops was finished by four.  Along the way there was the usual good dishing of trash talk, laughs, surges, discussion on how I have an old man stride, consideration of next summer race plans and memory of races long ago. 

I feel pretty fortunate to know so many wonderful people that I can share some miles and beverages with.  Chatter is that there could be a summer edition of this event, but it seems the desire there is with less miles but more stops per mile.  Hoo boy.

Thursday 120513

Solstice Slog thoughts.  30 miles with the Eire loop ... if we take that out, it is 20.  Thinking December 21.  Probably start at my place, around 10, head north to Eire, then over to Louisville.  Then back to Broomstock for BC.  Back to my place for grilling, eats, showers and crashing out for anyone who needs it.

Backpacking thoughts:  The CT section (6) I am scheming on for a Scouting / daughter and her crew (could be one or two trips) goes from Kenosha to Breck in 32.9 miles.  That would probably be a 3 or 4 day trek with the kids.  I like it as it gives me lots of options to get kids out if things are not going well, is not too high, is easily accessible from both ends, and then we can add on after refueling in Breck.  The add on is what I am still unsure of.  Do I continue on the CT / CDT to Copper or do we start that way and then head south down the Wheeler Trail.  I have not quite been able to completely determine where the Wheeler would dump me or if we could use it or some offshoot of it to head over to Fairplay.

Cold this AM.

Okay, not quite that cold on my run.  It was +4.  Amazingly my legs did not feel completely thrashed this AM from yesterday’s weight work.  I got out in the afternoon.  My left Achilles is still a bit tight from how I landed funny on it the other day.  That, the back, the cold … just a relaxing slow short run.  5.7 miles, at 9+ minute pace.  Quite the frosty beard when I finished.  Cold enough that the iPhone just turned off involuntarily.  Of course my first world problem was put into a natural perspective as I watched a coyote jaunt across the golf course eyeballing me.

Thinking about XC, here is an old school vid.

Hokas.  Not a shoe for everyone.  And that is okay.