The weather is spectacular, again. It was nice to run with Amanda; Someone to protect me from rattlesnakes and wandering parakeets.... We ran slowly because she's been on vacation. She kept appologizing. I kept telling her it was ok (I made no mention of the cow I ate on Memorial Day or all those 10 minute miles I relished in her absence). She's doing Ragnar! I feel like her mommy, so proud of her amazing performance in Ogden, and cheering her on for more. We all run for different reasons. But she actually has it in her to be a contender, and she's either quiet about it or she's unsure of her potential. She ran with me while I prepared for the Moab Half, and the day we ran 10/12, she said "That is the most I've ever run since high school." But when she's in her 30's and finishing her races in the top 5, I expect that I'll be saying "I used to run with her!" I keep telling her I expect her to be doing marathons by next year. She's not convinced. Maybe after Ragnar. Oh Amanda, why do all my friends have to move away to the East Coast? I guess I should actually try to qualify for Boston this year. I need some other/new excuses to be East of here (or as I like to call it, "East of Eden"). | 