Patience; the new endurance sport.

I had Colombus Day off and so spent the day sitting with my sick daughter reading up on Colombus.  I was facinated.  Columbus brought a lot of settlers to the many islands just south of Florida and off the coast of Venezuela, but never really made it to the mainland of Continental North or South America.  He sailed into and named most of the islands like Dominican Republic, Cuba, Hati, the Virgin Islands, Antilles, Tortola, Aruba, etc., etc. It was actually a group of Norsemen (Lief Erickson) who settled in Newfoundland Canada 500 years before Columbus started sailing around looking for a faster spice trade route in 1492 by sailing West instead of East that should be credited as the first North American Settlers.  Besides which, America couldn't actually be 'discovered' because there were already people native to this continant....anyway....That fact aside, the trend tying Colombus to the America's actually stemmed from a 200 year legal battle waged by his estranged sons in the 1500's to fight the Government of Spain to hold the crown to it's original contract with Columbus to give 10% of the tax revenues/riches that came from those 'discoveries' to Columbus (and by extension, his progeny). An Italian Cartographer  and explorer, Amerigo Vespucci (a collegue of Columbus's) was credited a year after Colubus's death with the discovery of these continants by the Spanish--  in an effort to cut Colombus's family out of future royalites. And thus the continants were renamed after the latinized version of his name 'Americus'.  But for 200 years or so, this continent was called "Colombia" (as in District of Columbia, Columbia SC, Columbus Ohio, etc) after Columbus.  Pretty interesting.

As far as the running went-- it's still slow going.  I don't know if running a slow 6 is too many miles?  I'm taking it really easy, but I still feel tender and my muscles do not feel strong-- they're still a little fatigued I think. But I have really enjoyed the slow running--and not having to be anywhere today, heighted my enjoyment of being outside in this weather--doing my thing, at my own sweet pace. 

I got up to run with Marsha, but waited 5 mintues before deciding to hit the road.  I texted her that I'd taken off. I'm not a good waiter and I dislike making other people wait. Time is such a precious commodity.  So me and my headlamp headed off down the dark road. It was a dark morning after that thunderstorm around 4:00 a.m. I ran down the road, avoiding puddles, listening to the wind in the trees and cat tails along the side of the road, watching the eeiry illumination of the cattle and horse's eyes from my the light of my headlamp.  And, for the first time since SG, I felt my muscles strong again.  I have a myriad of other aches that have plaguee me --muscle weakness and spasms in my hams/priformis/lower back.  They always take a beating after a race.  I've become more regular about the stretching again.  I know I should have done more of it last week, but I always running slow miles is the best rest.  And for the record by saying I do my stretching-- I don't mean stretching in the 'warm up' or 'cool down' sort of way--  I mean before my feet hit the floor in the morning, after running, several times at work, and then before bed.  These stretches have kept my hips and knees stronger and pain free.  But when I become lazy and don't do them, I can tell.  I only need that much stretching during high mileage months/and after races.  But I'm sure doing them (or Yoga) regularly would keep me from breaking stuff while running.

I got to run at 6:45 instead of 5:45!  It was dang-near light outside!  For a whole 5 days I get to have 6:30-8:30 back-- all for me!!!! I immediately celebrated the occasion by running two extra miles IN THE LIGHT down the jetti and to the end of the Bonneville Shoreline.  Ahh, I love Deer Hunt, I mean, UEA, I mean, Fall Break...whatever it's called this year. 

There was so much moisture in the air, after all the rain yesterday, that it felt like a Southern California winter day.  (Did anyone else see that rainbow that arced all the way across the valley yesterday?!). The water droplets gathered on my armhair.  I love also how the steam rises off your body post work out.  It really makes you feel smokin' hot :)  There was thick white fog hovering over the lake. I'm enjoying the lushness of this rain, and the low grey clouds. I can't get enough of it.  The leaves are just starting to turn.   Why can't this weather last a few more weeks? By Monday, it will be back to running in the dark.  So I'll enjoy this while I can.

I wonder now how I ever did 8's for 26 miles.  I promised myself I wouldn't wear the Garmin for a full month.  But I know how slow I'm going, I can feel it.  I'm not even sure if I can do anything about it.  I know how hard I work to obtain those race paces, but now I wonder how I did it.  It doesn't even possible right now.  Last Saturday, I ran with Catherine 6 miles at a pretty good 9 m/m clip. But afterwards, I was worn out and achy all day.  Perhaps I really should have taken a week off and just ridden the stationary a couple of hours a day instead of running.  I reduced my miles and let myself have super easy runs, and I'm enjoying being outside-- but will I ever run fast again?  I felt really strong one day this week and thought I was headed for a comeback, but today I felt like cement.  I don't know if I'm getting lazy, or still recovering....  Is it too late to take a week off to use the stationary?  My next real training won't start until January.  Normally, because I believe in seasonality, I 'just run' 4-6 miles 6 days a week all winter--plus all my sit ups and push ups.  But what should I do between now and January so I don't wear myself down and save it for a confident run in Boston? 

Ran really easy with Catherine this morning.  It was almost painstaikingly beautiful.  This very morning a friend of mine from the Boston area had said it was snowing there and she craved being out west with the big sky and mountains.  I felt so lucky for the warmth and clarity of our Utah morning. It was filled with tall cottonwood trees whose bright yellow leaves glowed gold light against a bright blue sky, their fallen leaves carpeting the trail alongside the dark river water moving silently downstream. We stood at the end of the jetti for just a second to admire the still, glassy lake reflecting the blue sky, and to look at our Mt. Timponogas looking majestic with a thin line of white adorning the highest peaks.  There are times of the year it's nice to be in San Diego, and there are other times of year it is nice to be in the Northeast.  But Utah has it's glory, and better yet, its beauty feels like an amazing secret.