Every Race is an Adventure!

Lindon loop. It was so long ago now I don't remember who I ran with. I think it may have been Larry, Kevin and Kent. I vaguely remember saying something about getting four out on a Monday.

Tuesday run up the 2000 N hill. I think it was just me and Larry, with Kevin meeting us along the way.

Kent and I did Thursdays Cascade route today. Like Monday and Tuesday, I was just getting miles in...no speed to speak of.

Larry, Wayne and I ran a variant of Larry's "Never Ending Hills" route. We basically wandered around the hilly streets of Lindon and North Orem until we got in six miles. Average pace was a blistering 10:40/mi.

Larry and Wayne went for a Christmas Day run at 11:00am. I couldn't make it then, but was able to get out around 3:00pm for a solo run. I was surprised to see the temperature in the low 40's. I ran in shorts for the first time in a while, but still wore multiple layers on top, gloves and a head band for my ears.

I hoped to average around 8:00/mi pace, but I wasn't sure how all the food I'd eaten in the last 24 hours might affect me. I ended up averaging 7:55/mi, with the last mile in 7:22, and no digestive distractions. I really enjoyed the run.

My family was all taking a break (naps, personal activities, etc....poor Brittany had to go to work for 6 hours) from family fun. I got back well before we restarted our Wii Super Mario Brothers fun. I'm hearing the game noises and cheerful (sometimes frustrated) family banter as I type. There are more of us than there are controllers so I gave mine up for a while.

There were lots of great gifts this Christmas, but I've most enjoyed spending time with all our children, including our two young single adult sons, and our newly married daughter and her husband, who don't live at home. Our family is a game playing family, and we like to think we know how to have a good time. I'm amazed and extremely grateful for how blessed I am. Somewhere in my youth or childhood, or perhaps my pre-mortal life, I must have done something good.

Even though we waited until 9:00am to run, it was still only about 11° when Larry, Wayne, Kevin and I started our run. At least it was sunny and not windy. We weren't sure what route to run...which can at times lead to an adventure. We started out running our normal Lindon loop, a.k.a. the Tri-City loop as it passes through Orem, Lindon and Pleasant Grove. As we started north up 400 E in Lindon, Wayne had the bright idea to keep running up the hill. We ended up running well over a mile up some relentless incline all the way to Battle Creek park.

After a brief break to talk to some camo-dressed AirSoft gunners preparing to do a little human hunting, we started back down the hill. We followed Battle Creek Dr. all the way down to Locust Ave. which we then followed all the way to Lindon Park and back on our normal route to home.

The combination of approaching 40 miles again this week, pushing hard yesterday afternoon, and running the big uphill left my legs feeling like I was at mile 24 of a marathon. I went into survival mode and locked into a rhythm that got me home. We were talking that hill miles and winter miles somehow ought to count more. We also mutally shared our appreciation to each other and how much better running is when in the company of great running buddies...and I've some of the best.