Patience; the new endurance sport.

Still in Newport.  Yesterday was spectacular weather.  I got up at 6:00 to run cliff walk this morning.  It was overcast so the water was not as sparkely and blue as the days when the sun shines. The ocean here changes every day. Yesterday there was swell and lots of surfers, today nothing.  I love Newport for it's tiny cobblestoned streets, bricked in sidewalks, flowerbox windows, whitesteepled churches, and a harbor filled with sail boats.  I ran easily today, first the cliff then a little around town.  I had to get back to have breakfast with the friends who are leaving back to New York today, and my sister who also leaves for DC this afternoon.  I am sad my vacation is ending.  Sad to say goodbye to my sis. But we had a long good visit over these past 2 weeks. I wish however that the music festival would not be the last of my vacation.  It's bittersweet to see my my good friends who I crave to see all year and then also have to say 'goodbye' in the same breath.  Regardless, it's been a really good long vacation, and I have decompressed completely.  I feel healed and strong, and pretty ready to get back to the business of real life.....in a few more days.  I really, really, really miss my kids.  It's been 6 days since they went home to Utah from South Carolina.  I guess that's a good thing to miss them.

I ran the Salem bike Trail over to Marblehead.  The day is bright and clear so Marblehead bay was clean and blue. The trail is a lovely gravel drive that is totally covered in native New England flowers and plants.  Last year I bought an Audubon book just to identify the flowers here and pressed some into my vacation journal. Today I went into the tiny, old cemetaries on Marblehead to look for my favorite graves and refresh my memory of their wise and poetic eptiaphs.  "As you are now, so once was I....." reads one headstone from the 1670's.  This one always strikes me.  I'm staying the rest of my time at my friend's 150 year old home in Salem, MA.  They just moved into a 150 year old home about 3 blocks away from the place they've lived for the past 10 years.  This new home is unbelievable, 3 floors and many rooms.  They have refinished and furnished it in period pieces.  They are both excellent craftsmen and artists, so you can imagine how well the house is put together.  It's lovely.  Anway, I'll be in Boston this afternoon winding down my adventure, which should end tommorrow.  I have enjoyed all the running on the beach, through lonely country roads surrounded by fields of soy beans and cotton, and down tiny New England streets. I have a few memories in the bank now to recall on those sad, bleary Utah winter days.

I didn't run yesterday because it was my last day in MA.  I spent the whole day in downtown Boston. I got up early, started in the North End (where all the great Italian Bakeries and Restaurants are) and then walked the whole circle of town (through Beacon Hill, Boston Commons, Public Gardens, down Commonwealth Ave and to the Boston Museam of Fine arts).  I didn't even take the T.  No one can accuse me of wasting a single mili-second of these past 2 weeks and I have run and walked hundreds of miles.  I finished my day (before jumping on the plane) by eating another biscotti biscuit (I'd purchased in the morning at the bakery) with hazlenut gelato looking over the Charles River onto the sail boats, while revisiting memories of the days before.  This morning found me on my own bike trail back in Utah-- in utter shock and something close to despair that it was over just as quickly as it began.  I let the visual difference in the trees, plants, and flowers with all their different shades of green, sink into my conciousness.  I noted how no sweat ran in rivulets down my face or arms.  The air is so dry here, I'd forgotten how sweat drys into salt on you skin.  There are so many ways I have to pick up the pieces where I left off on July 17th; School, soccer, piano, Life.  Hmm.  (Double Hmmm). Only 365 more days until the next time I can do that again.  It was wonderful.  Now I have to be satisfied with the memories, like leftovers in the fridge. 

Today was slow going (9:18 ave).  I have not had enough water to drink upon reentry to our desert valley. I just realized that Hobble Creek is 2 weeks away, and that I should be deep into SGM training.  I've ramped up my weekday mileage, but so far have not run anything above 13 since June.   I'm feeling pretty good right now, but that all changes once I start pulling 17-23's on Saturdays.  I hate to ruin my fun running. I love running on vacation.  Everyone who was with me kept saying " I don't know how you do it" meaning, run on vacation every day.  I guess it's that I really do love to run, and when I have no time constraints, or other stress, I want to run more, not less.  I've only got 2 more weeks before the kids go back to school and we're all fighting for that prime time between 6:00- 7:30 a.m.  So I'll try to do my best to take advantage of the next 14 days before that whole grind begins anew.   

What's up with the air quality?  It's like a sandstrom in the Gobi Desert.  It was pretty easy to get a 8:42 average.  Pretty decent for me.  I sure can run faster when I only have to go 5 miles! 

10:27/11:49/11:32/11:42/11:35/11:20/8:51/9:04/8:50/9:07/9:06/9:05/9:11/8:56

A good friend from Berkely showed up on Thursday with his new girlfriend--she must pass muster and so they were passing through Provo on their way to Bryce/Zion's park.Last night at a bar-b-que we had with some friends, he made me promise I'd run the trail with his her this morning.  I was intimidated because she seemed like this hard core runner, but turns out she runs easy-breezy12 minute miles. So I ran her down the trail to the jetti on the lake (6 miles) while we chatted about life in Hercules and San Francico, Marin County.  I really miss that area.  The lake was army green and it was windy, so there were lots of waves whipping up in the breeze, and black birds scattered agains the dark blue sky with av receeding moon. Just a few days ago, I watched the same moon from the rooftop of the Vanderbilt Hotel rise against the back drop of a white steepled Epsicopalian Church and the Newport Harbor, but I digress. So this morning was gorgeous, fun to show it off to our bay area friends.  I left my guest at 6 miles and went back for another 8 at my own pace.  I'm supposed to do 17 today, but I have to be at Pineview Resevoir for a family reunin at 11:00 so I'll have to do another 3 tonight.  I haven't really had a second of downtime since I've been home.  Which,  I guess is a good thing to fill up all my post-vacation slump with friends and end-of-summer reunions.  I felt really strong on those last 8.  I'm so pleased it's coming easier.  I really think I had the swine flu back in June.  I never got tested for it, but it took a month to recover.  I think I'm back to 100%.  Happy, busy Saturday everyone!  I made thai chicken salad with somen noodles and peanut satay chicken for today and can't wait to eat it.  Yum.