Patience; the new endurance sport.

I loved the weather today; The freshly rained on wet pavement, the black glossy river water.  The air so filled with moisture. It feels like a Southern California winter today-- the right temp and everything.  I know it will snow again (for which I'm happy to allow for a few more ski days), but the the warm is finally breaking up the frozen tundra.  The air is so filled with moisture, and feels so clean going into my lungs.  I feel like I'm being washed from the inside.  Yesterday, it was much colder. So what appeared to be a shallow puddle or 'wet' pavement was actually black ice.  I  ice skated, arms flailing in slow motion, quite  few times yesterday.  But today, it was actually warm enough to be wet. What a beautiful rainy afternoon. I loved breathing the washed air.

Stared running with Sarah again this morning.  I haven't seen her since October (when William came).  She's getting back into the swing, and I'm limping along.  Nice to have company on the dark trail.  When we started, it was snowing pretty good.  There was about an inch of it on the trail--but I forgot about the ice underneath (rember the ice skating on Saturday?  yeah, well I didn't). We were going along, about a mile in, when suddenly I found myself  inexplicably on my back.  I wasn't hurt -- but incredulous that I was on the ground.  I lay there for a second and said out loud "I actually fell down" to which Sarah replied "yes, you actually did."  Nothing was hurt, but I can't remember falling it happened so fast.  I guess that's good.  Maybe falling will pop my hip and lower back into place.....wishful thinking.  If I could just stretch a few of those tendons way in there then I'd be good.  It was  so refreshing to be outside in the predawn.  It's been a while.  I came back and did another 2 on the treadmill since I have to do my stretches warmed up (got cooled down getting everyone off to school).  It will be nice to get into something regular again.  

Hey!  If you want to:

a) get pregnant by accident or design

b) develop graves disease, hypo/hyperthiroid or some other thiroid disorder

c) have a post partum breakdown

d)suffer a life changing injury

Then I'm looking for you!  Apparently I am the vampire of the running world. For if you choose to run with me on dark mornings, alone on the trail, one of the aforementined items will surely occur.  Just to warn you.

treadmill/alias/sit ups/push ups blah blah blah--althought I noticed how sore my hip was again--but this time in a different place, I could feel it when I was doing crunches.  But it felt swollen/padded.  So I went to look at it in the mirror when I was done and noticed I have a huge bruise where I fell on the ice.....It didn't hurt at all when I fell.

An hour on the stationary bike/situps/60 push ups.  There is no way I could ever work to 100.  Jim is a liar.  There is no way. 

What is more lovely than to be the first footprints on fresh snow in the morning?  That soft crunch underfoot, the muffled quiet of the insulated air, cleansed and beautified by a downy white quilt laid upon the earth.  It snowed lightly the whole run.  I ran in awe of the world's camofloged flaws made soft and forgiving by the snow. I stood at the very end, end of the trail and looked over the frozen lake and listened to the breeze blow through the dry reeds.  My footprints (and the dogs) were the only ones out on that lonely winter tundra.  It fills me up to overflowing to partake of the world by myself in this way.  I ran 8 miles today, which I have not done since summer.  I'll do 7 next saturday and then 9 the week after that working toward 13.  I've got to start shorter faster weekday training runs and taking either Fridays or Mondays off.  Time to get in gear for Moab....six weeks and counting.  What luck to have this extra bit of winter beauty, just in time for a long weekend at home with the kids.