Man, I have been bad at logging miles since school and soccer started. I've been averaging 25-28 miles a week (4-6 a day). I still have to switch it up a lot (treadmill, walk/jog/yoga/yoga/yoga). I've been running the mountain bike trails behind Sundance and a few trails in the American Fork Canyon. Lots of LOUD elk up there. I saw one with huge antlers that felt like they were 5 feet long. I was worried he'd rush me when he saw I wasn't one of the mules he'd been calling. The last two weeks in the mountains has seen a breathtaking transformation. The beauty of the changing leaves against the sunrise, blue sky, or the lush wet trail after it's rained is so intense I have to stop and let it overcome me. Terri says I'm like that You Tube guy who videotaped a double rainbow, and he's so stoned or whatever, that he starts crying and asking the Universe "what does it (the double rainbow) mean?" Yeah, I'm that guy. But I am unashamed. Nothing makes me feel more free or at peace than being outside. I miss the days I used to have the desolate beaches of Baja California in my life, but the solitude of the mountain and the quiet of the red rock Utah desert has been a good second. Lately, I'm feeling my legs stronger and stronger (though my cardio strength and energy level is still lacking). But I am happy to report having found a happy medium 9:50-11:00 minute pace that (mostly) does not hurt my lower back, hip, ham, or patelar tendons. I think back on how hard I trained to qualify for Boston, how hard I learned to run and how dedicated I was. I am proud to have done that. But I am also happy to have found some peace, even when I am not able to make my body perform as it used to. | 