run, run, run

Falcon Trail, Air Force Academy, CO

Pace: 9:15

A great run. The Falcon Trail is a 13 mile loop around the Air Force Academy campus. A beautiful and very hilly trail with great views of the valley, the academy chapel, and stadium (site of many a beating of the Falcons by my Cougars) but most of it is just a real nice run through the forest.
I forgot to bring my water bottle or belt on this trip, so I stashed a bottle of Gatorade at mile 8. I could have used it a lot sooner, but it all worked out.
Some of the hills were rough, but I have to remember that what goes up must come down and the downhill stretches were awesome. This is why I run. Pushing yourself over the hills then cruising though the woods really makes you feel alive.

Colorado Springs, CO

 Pace: 8:54

 Went back up Cheyenne Mtn. Blvd. Was dragging a bit going up the hill (go figure) but picked up the pace on the way down. A warm day, but not oppressively hot. An enjoyable, but pretty uneventful run.

 

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO

Pace: 9:17 

 Hot. I didn't get out running today until 11am. It's my last day in Colorado Springs, so I thought I would run in GOTG one more time. It was a warm day, but it's always a great run through there. I carried a bottle of Gatorade with me which got pretty warm by the time I finished it off.

Mmmm, who doesn't love warm Gatorade?
 

Meridian, ID

Pace: 8:30

I didn't run on Thursday. I traveled home from Colorado and had a softball game in the evening (I hit 3 for 4 in a losing effort). I thought I would put Friday morning's run here and save Friday's entry for the Main Street Mile race.

 I went out at 6:30 to maybe catch up with Randy (I forgot to call). He wasn't there so I went out on my own. A very pleasant run around the neighborhood. After two weeks of working nights, it was nice to get out early before the heat of the day sets in.

A new pair of running shoes arrived while I was gone, so I tried them out this morning. Felt really good. I was wearing 8.5s but kept getting black toenails. So my wife convinced me to try out a pair of 9s last time. They were ok, but I needed to wear two pair of socks to get them to feel right. I went back to 8.5 this time. I guess the black toes will be coming back soon.

The Main Street Mile is a one mile race in downtown Boise. Basically you run around the block twice.

I've wondered how fast I could run if I was only running one mile (not holding back for the rest of a longer race). I guess the answer is 6:05.

It was a really fun race. The short distance with so many people made for a fun atmosphere, and I got to see my wife cheering me on twice.

I ran in the geezer race (over 40) and placed 27th of 88. If I had run in the open race I would have finished 23rd. There are a lot of fast old people.

As I turned the final corner and saw the clock it read 5:40. I thought to myself "can I run this block in less than 20 seconds?" I couldn't. Even though it was a short distance, it was one of the most difficult races I've run. Good thing the pain didn't last long.

Under 6 minutes next year!

Just a small local fun run. The course was flat and the weather was perfect. I hoped I would do better than the 47 minutes I did in a 10k in Colorado a week ago. So 44:48 was good for me.

My wife's friends that she runs/walks with in the mornings talked her into running the 6k. She said she had fun and I enjoyed being able to talk about each other's races afterward.

One thing that was unique about this race is that they handed out gear bags instead of t-shirts. Nice for a change. You can only use so many race shirts.