Patience; the new endurance sport.

9:13/9:09/8:44/9:07/9:23/9:30/9:30

I made my son, who is on spring break drive his bike alongside me today, so he could get some fresh air after a snowy indoor Easter weekend spent largely in front of the Television for many hours Sat/Sunday. He was not excited about going outside into the wind at first, but as we got about half a mile down the trail, I began to count the number of times he made a declaration and started a question with the phrase "MAMA!" (as loudly as if I was a mile down the trail, even though we were side by side).  It went like this:  MAMA!  why haven't we ever seen a frog at this rivertrail?    MAMA!  do you think we can come back and try to catch a frog? .....MAMA! are the frogs mostly in the mud?  MAMA!  what is the difference between a frog and a toad?  MAMA!  do you think it's harder to catch a frog than it is a lizard? Mama! do you think that sound is frogs or crickets?  I kid you not. He kept me almost completely distracted and it reminded me of when he was younger, and talked to me more often. He was fun to have along, he enjoyed getting off his bike at the end of the trail and looking out to see how the wind picked up the lake and thrashed it around.  Also we saw lots of geese at the reserve with their baby gosslings.  Even if it was hard to maintain a stupid 9:09 and I could feel it in my calves and shins,  it sure was fun to have my son along. 

Non-eventful 5 mile run.   Gloomy, windy trail. AP 9:04.

What a difference the sun makes!  This morning before the sun even rose, the birds on the trail were going crazy.  It started with the woodpecker pounding away in the dark, but then became a crazy chirping symphony as the dawn broke.  Without even looking out the window, I knew the sky was going to be clear because of those birds.  It was chilly, but windless.  In spite of the change in attitude, my legs still feel beat. I ate a ton of protein yesterday.  After talking to Marion at lunch I was more certain than ever, that I have been too lazy at good protein replacement in the past 6 months.  I think I've actually lost muscle mass.  I am about 3 pounds lighter than normal (for no apparent reason) and my legs don't seem to recover as quickly from my harder or longer work-outs.  I think I'm missing that combination of zinc, magnesium, iron, and protein.  So yesterday I forced myself to eat a hamburger patty and almost threw it back up.  I also ate a can of beans and had a protein shake.  I have been so bad about my diet since about November. I haven't been careful enough to eliminate sugar and replace meat with good sources of protein.  This could explain my sluggishness and lack of muscular stregth.  Anyway, on the trail, I saw one of my hawks flying with a rat in its talons, and a whole flock of yellow headed blackbirds. Their yellow chests were so bright in the sun, it made me realize how long it's been since I've seen any birds since fall.  I also so a huge egret fly out of the bird reserve, it's huge long legs trailing behind those enormous outstretched wings.  I was tired after the run and did extra stretching.  I have no explaination for why I'm so tired all the time, even though I haven't had a really hard work out for about a week. 

What a gorgeous day.  Clear blue sky, mild temperatures. 

Blogging retrospectively.  Took the kids on Spring Break to Southern Utah.  Ran a quick 5 down the trail then off for a 4 hours car ride.

Such a beautiful run in Southern Utah.  I ran along the Colorado River up the canyon 4 miles and back.  The day was pristine and I could not have asked for a more beautiful morning.  I'm trying to get my confidence up for next week.