Sorry I've been MIA.  I was in Chicago for a while.  Now I'm just moping.  Been running a little...I'll run tonight.  Winter is supposed to hit next week here.  Ugh.

QOTD: Exciting and pleasant are two different things.  I think my most pleasant runs are longer(ish) runs that leave me feeling used, but not totally used up.  Like, you're tired at the end and ready for the run to end, but still have some energy left.

Ran on the treadmill yesterday, so was too ashamed to post.     Did some 800's for some speed work and didn't want to go out in the rain because I've been fighting a bad cold for a few days.

SRD today.  Meeting a friend for a hilly 20 miler tomorrow.  His last long run before the JFK50.  I'm working an AS this year and not running.  The did not sell out for the first time in many years, and not sure if that was a reaction to the qualification requirements or not.  I have 2 freinds going for their 10th year, so I thought I'd help out and then join them later on the C&O.

QOTD:  Hard to pick, but I'll say an emotional (that's exciting and pleasant) trail run 12 years ago, right after my father was killed in a car accident.  It was early fall and the colors were beautiful, and I went out for 6 miles and kept adding distance and ended up running 15 or 16.  I kept stopping to look at the views and thinking about my dad, and could heard John M's advice in my head of "taking time to appreciate where you are" during a run.  When it came time for the funeral, I was in a much better emotional place than my mom and siblings because I had that time to work things out.

No running, but am doing some exercises for the ankle and testing it on the stairs a bit. This weekend should be good or some long rides in the Santa Cruz Mountains or up Mt. Tam a few times

I keep thinking by next weekend I will be back on the trail doing 10-15 at a time, but that may be very optimistic.

QOTD: Probably somewhere between Leadville and the NFEC 50km in the mud in 2012. Away from a "race," the best was one day on the trails from Stinson Beach up the slopes of Mt. Tam where everything just flowed perfectly, I felt like I floated up the climbs and danced down the root covered descents back to the beach, where it was time for a quick dip and then some wine

Still resting and recovering. I'll start back running again next week. I feel great. I haven't had any soreness since Wednesday, but I am not running until I finish these antibiotics and there is no longer pain from the Cellulitis. That stuff comes on you quick but fades slowly. I think I should be back on the trails early next week. Don't worry, Kelly, I'll be ready in a few weeks.

QOTD: Hard question. I have had so many pleasant runs. I think one of the most pleasant was my run with Dana Miller on the Bear 100 course a few years back. We pretty much ran through every thing the Rockies have to offer: rocks, snow, mud, ups, downs, scree, etc. I would also have to put last weekend's Pinhoti in that list of pleasant runs. I finished that thing pretty comfortably. It was just a great run. But, by far, my most exciting run was the only race I ran last year. It was a 10K night race on what was really a cross country type of course. I was in a tight pack of runners on the second 5K loop, and it just felt like we were flying down the trail. We came out across a highway, and my toe caught one of those darned road reflectors. I did a complete somersault and popped right back up, never missed a beat. The guy behind me say "Whoa!!! Are you okay!?! The guy ahead of me looked over his shoulder, and I stayed right on his heels as I told the guy behind me I was fine. I caught the guy in front of me about 400 yards from the finish line and started putting some distance between us. He closed in close at the end, but I edged him out. It was really a great race. We were running at about 7 minutes per mile, but there were a few folks running 5:20's. I was giving it all I had to keep the 7 minute pace. It was quite a night. At the finish, you would have thought the three of us were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at some world championship race. We talked about the details of that last lap for quite awhile over a couple of beers.

 I thought "wow, when did I stop being depressed and pissed?"  I guess I shredded that feeling somewhere in the woods while focusing on the trail,  the trees or ???  So I suggest that you (and I) get out there for a run. 

Awesome, Sue.  Love it!

Windy, cold, and brisk out there today. I was feeling a bit rough this morning after a bit of extra IPA indulging last night while watching my beloved Browns kick the crap out of the Bengals. It's been ages since this Browns fan has had much to cheer for so I celebrated. Anyway, took LadyB out at lunch and we ran an easy 5 miles of neighborhood loops. Tried out my new Altra Torin road shoes. Seemed fine. Figure it's time to transition my road running to the zero drop now too. Trail I've been there since March.

QOTD: Ok, you asked... here is a part from my first 100 at Massanutten.. This was just after the second to last aid station and I'd been walking shuffling all night with horribly blistered soaked feet from the previous afternoon/evening/night's thunderstorms..

..... So when we got to the road, I began to run again. It seemed like for the first time in hours and hours. I started into a pretty ok pace I guess for someone at 90 miles into a race, but after a ¼ mile of running my left foot began to protest with sharp stabbing pains that felt like fire burning on the ball of my foot. I had to stop running and instantly began cursing. I felt so awake, I felt so alive, so full of energy and the desire to run, but my trashed feet were not allowing me to do so. I cursed out loud in frustration about this several times but eventually just buckled down and tried to walk briskly. That seemed to calm down the foot so I kept with the brisk walking all the way up the road but was sure disappointed not to be running. I figured I would likely be walking it in, and now thoughts of breaking 30 hours seemed out of reach. You think marathon math is fuzzy, you should try 100 miler math in a race of this difficulty.

Anyway, we crossed a few more wet creeks, like it mattered anymore to my mushy wet feet and shoes, and started the second to last big climb of the day. I had lost a bit of momentum with my walking on the steep hill but when Angus spotted another racer ahead I tried to keep moving the best I could. It was Jay from earlier in the night, and we caught up with him at the ridgeline, only to have another runner that Angus knew, Mike the RD from the HAT stride by us like we were standing still a few seconds later.

After a short rocky switchback started our descent, the trail seemed to get a little less steep and I thought I’d try running again though I wasn’t sure if I could. I kind of feared being passed again by Jay who let us go by at the ridge line. I was running pretty slowly, and it seemed to take forever for the next switch back to arrive. I was having to stop and start my “running pace” due to some tricky rocky patches and it was a bit frustrating and I felt that Jay was just behind me waiting to pass again. Man, do I suck on the trails or what! I kept at it though the best I could.

After a few more switchbacks the trail seemed to smooth out just a bit and something came over me. At first it was the realization that I was going to really finish my first 100 miler. Then it was the realization that I really wanted to bring it home strong and break 30 hours. Like I said, 100 mile math is really tricky and I was sure I was at the edge of that window if I kept walking. So I started to turn my legs over just a bit faster. My mind started buzzing when I did this. It’s so hard to explain but it felt so damn good. I almost wanted to cry. I was so pumped up and excited all of a sudden. I started to breathe a bit harder on purpose and picked up the pace as I did so. My breathing was hard but relaxed in a rhythmic fashion. Almost like I was saying enough of this MMT, let me show you who’s in charge. Wow wow wow. I’m running again after all this time. I accelerated a few more times almost using my breathing to stoke the fires and give me a bit more gas. Adrenaline was flowing through me something fierce. Angus muttered “way to go Dave” behind my back and it felt so good to finally give my best friend and pacer a good moment out here. I worried a few times about over doing it here and falling or tripping but it seemed like such a natural movement now on the trail and my feet that had been burning and aching for so long were just making a dull throb and moving along like they were supposed to. I kept the faster pace going up to the final aid station, only slowing a bit for rocky and slippery spots and I even passed Mike just before reaching Elizabeth Furnace. A surge of adrenaline and speed 27+ hours and 93+ miles into my race. It seemed like pure magic and I was so happy.

.....

Took a SRD yesterday (Friday), today I did about 15 in the hilly and wooded trails just north of Haeundae.  The trails are great and they take me about a mile of street running to get to them.  Had one of those great runs today.

qotd: Well for exciting, I'd have to say running along some of the canyons at Western States or of course almost all of Hardrock.  We're talking, take a fall in the wrong direction and it would get REALLY exciting REALLY quickly!!!

I've had a whole lot of really pleasant runs so it is hard to pick out one.  Sometimes it's the feeling of effortless running, sometimes the temps are just right, the light is great, the smells are nice, you've got the right amount of clothes on, and sometimes it's hard to put your finger on exactly why things are going so well.  But I would say that a trail is almost always involved.  I am so fortunate to travel a lot and make it a point to find trails wherever I go.  Some that stand out are trails in Kamakura and near Mt. Takao in Japan, the trail around the hills in Genoa, Italy, some of the trails here in Korea (I ran on some today), trails in Norway.... and even trails in Colorado and California.  The photo I use as my avatar to the left is one such moment, running in the aspen trees out of Windfield about to go back up the back side of Hope Pass at Leadville.  For some reason I felt really good at that point, maybe it was the light or time of day, etc.... the photo even came out ok and that's why I use it here.....  It really was pleasant at that moment, even though I knew I had a good 45+ miles to go and Hope Pass loomed, that happens in 100s sometimes, but then again you get to the other extreme soon enough.