I'm retired from racing. Really.

AM- 8.5.  Back on the horse, lots of mileage and doubles.

Lunch- 10 more with the guys.  Well, 7 with the guys, then 3 lonely miles.  94 deg and humid- the wonderful summers in SC.   

AM- 8.5 ez.

Lunch- no run.  Instead participated in obstacle course.  Our coed team set the fastest time overall!  (I heard a later male team beat us by 2 sec)  Won $25 gas cards.  1 mile.

PM- Barry hurt his back, so I was all alone at Paris Mtn.  First time there in a month, I think.  Very hot and humid- mid 90's.  I did a bit of a workout, running 1.18 miles hard up the Kanuga hill (600 ft climb, 140 drop = 460 net uphill) in 11:17, then semi-hard down in 9:00, then again hard up in 10:59.  Very tired and thirsty after the workout, and I still have 4 miles to go.  Finished with 12.5 miles in 1:54 with 2300 ft climb.  Hot, tired, and happy.

 Watched some thunderstorms on the drive home.  Greenville and the South have awesome storms- at least 3 per week that are as bad as any I have ever seen in Denver.  Grabbed dinner at Wendy's and had to wait 8 min- that was annoying.  And since when does a meal cost $8+ at Wendy's???  I've got a few words for Bernanke and his "low inflation", except this is a family friendly website... 

AM- 6 ez run by myself, then 2 xt.  Felt predictably sore and exhausted.

Lunch- 8 even with the guys.  Still tired, but a bit better.  It's been 6 weeks of med-low mileage (other than the race), so my body is complaining about the mileage jump.  I'll get used to it.  

Going to see a podiatrist tomorrow about one of my big toes.  Want to get the toenail fixed, but hopefully nothing that requires no running. 

AM- 7.5 easy.

No surgery today.  But I scheduled to have my big toenail removed July 18.  Doc said he recommends no running for 2 days after, then as limited by pain after that.

Insert joke here: You know you're an ultra runner when you choose to have your big toenail removed.  Voluntarily.

Lunch- ran to the lake, then we did 4 tempo laps (.85 miles each).  I ran with Jim the whole time, averaging about 4:50 laps (~5:40 pace).  90 deg and humid, but didn't feel as hot as Monday.  8 miles total in 58 min.

AM- Adventure run today- 90 min drive to run the most remote section of Foothills Trail, the last portion of Laurel Valley.  Generally enjoyed myself.  Felt good considering the mileage on my legs this week.  The run didn't seem extremely hilly, but Garmin Connect put the total at 6000 ft climbing even (Sportracks said 8000, Training Center said 14000).  But the overall altitude was only 1100 to 2200, so no huge climbs.  Just steep stairs, on and on- it adds up.  Started at Bad Creek, ran .63 miles to FHT, then ran backwards all the way to Bear Gap (10.75 miles on watch, 10.1 on FHT).  Only saw 2 groups of people the whole time, one of which lent me a filter to get more water- I ran out due to very high humidity/heat.  22 miles in 4:17- rather slow.  But very technical in spots and hilly.

I'll throw up a few pictures after 2 notes to remember.  First, there are some huge spiders that make nasty, nasty, super sticky and thick webs.  Ugh.  After running face-first into my third, I started carrying a stick in front of me.  Second, I had some kind of red, biting bug swarm follow me.  I can only describe them as some kind of Spawn of Satan- they are terrible.  But they forced me to go faster, no matter how tired I was or how steep the trail- every time I slowed to a walk, they swarmed all over my face, biting me.  Beyond annoying.  Finished by meeting the family at a local farm to pick blueberries and blackberries for 2 hours.  Now watching Western States online.

Humid day when you can't see the trees on the drive there...

Yes, it is worth 90 min drive to run on this glory

You try running up these while being accosted by Spawn of Satan insects!!!  

Spider webs weren't quite this bad, but close...

Saw beautiful Hilliard Falls

Somebody hauled these stairs into the middle of nowhere.  Steep and long.