Each Day Is a Gift

6.5 with Wendy, 4.5 by myself.  Brrrr!!! especially w/ the headwind from the north!!!  The sun was nice though.

2 circuits CSE.

Temp was in the high teens!!!  Ran with Carolyn, Wendy and Karen.  *Hearts warm when friends meet*!!!  :) :) :)  2 pairs of socks and ski mittens kept my digits happy! :)  NO wind! NICE conversations!!!  Can't ask for more! :) :) :)

It was a stinky run!  Not the run itself, but the SMELLS!!!!  The first encounter was at the crossing on 600 E where a Timpanogos Sewage Treatment truck passed me.  Then a mile down the road that truck was working on a manhole pumping up who-knows-what.  That stench made me gag!!!

The second encounter was at the bottom of Dry Creek.  I ran to the light east of Smith Market Place and saw a graded trail paralell to SR92.  Was curious how far it would lead, so I ran down the trail to the border of Highland/Lehi to the bottom of Dry Creek.  They had constructed a bridge over the creek where a most disgusting smelly steam was billowing out of a culvert under that bridge.  PeeeUUU!!!  I turned around to run back up only to come face to face with a big backhoe which was followed by a huge dump truck bearing down.  yikes!  I jumped out of the way and expected to be yelled at by the workers.  But, they were very kind.  The trail crews are such nice men, unlike the road crews.  Over the last few weeks, I have run on the canal dirt trail where the workers were doing a lot of back filling, earth moving and grading and they have said hi to me or waited for me to pass.  I need to go tell Bro. Miner (who's in charge of the project) how nice his crews are.  It's been fun to watch the progress of the trail. 

Ran west all the way to the end of the trail.  Couple of guys were putting up a road sign and they said hello to me and commented how nice it was to see me run by everyday!  :)  Turned south and saw my hawks, Faith and Hope, perched on two lone trees in the fields by the rail road.  I have not seen them in the fields closer to my home due to all that road constructions and clearing off of trees and filling of the canal.  Faith and Hope have gotten quite big!  It was neat to see one of them spread her wings and soared high.

Third encounter of the stink was at the top of the hill on 3200N.  There's a mink farm that emitted the most disgusting stench which made my *having huffed up the hill* deflating! :)  However it made me speed up to get home sweet home where hubby promptly said:  "You smell like a runner!"  How nice of him to not say: I STINK! :)

Ran with Carolyn, Wendy, Karen (Sky) on a nice semi sunny morning.  Temp was a balmy 23F and calm!!!  :)  Feet and ankles are not liking the cold start...darn arthritis!  We ran thru the tunnel on the not yet finished trail by 1200W and heard a *hey! what are you guys doing?!!!* from above the tunnel.  It was Bro. Miner!  :) :) :)  He was teasing us!  :)

I'm going to sign up for a bunch of races before the end of the year.  I'm going to be BROKE!!! :)

Wendy, Karen (Sky) and I went trail exploring.  We ran beyond the bridge where I turned around due to the stench on Wednesday; but today there was no stinky steam. :) We got off the trail and turned south on the first road in Highland, then west on Mtn Ridge JrH road.  We saw another trail on the north side and decided to explore that. 

A black lab. came out of nowhere and wanted to play with Sky.  We kept yelling for her to go home.  We threw rocks at her and Karen even kicked her.  But she was very disobedient.  Wendy lead her a little ways back but she soon came running after us again.  We hiked down a ravine, crossed over the dry creek dam and back on the trail all the while trying to shoo that dog away. 

Got back on the south portion of dry creek trail and up on 3200N where the traffic seemed extra heavy.  It was hazardous to have a loose dog darting around us.  She followed us all the way home.  She was so playful and happy once we stopped running.  She parked herself on my front porch until another dog walker (also a black lab) came along.  Now she's roaming around my neighborhood.  We'll have to drive her back near where she found us and hopefully she could find her way home.  She has a collar with an electronic box on, probably a device to keep her in a fenceless yard.  Her owner would miss her!  The run was great other than that dumb dog getting in the way. 

Anyone one up for a long run tomorrow?  I need 16 but my weekday running friends aren't going that far. 

Ran on the JRP with Karen and Wendy.  Starting temp was 14F, calm and amazingly NO bad smell :).  We headed north so I could have their company for 8 miles and run the remaining solo miles on the south portion which may have other runners later.  The river is a frozen glass of green.  Just north of the 2100N bridge, the trail was broken up into heaps of giant mud clods.  I think they're in the process of moving the trail about 100' to the east off the river as the edge had started to slough off.  Wish they would at least grade it.  We had to walk/hike up the frozen mud clods.

We stopped to eat and drink at the 4 mile turnaround.  Instead of hiked down the frozen uneven giant mud clods we went thru the vinyl fence to run on the pathway and reconnect back to where the broken trail/mud clods were not as steep.  About 0.5 mile to the car, we heard a man hollering "excuse me!" from behind which startled us because we had not seen anyone on the trail other than couple of hunters heading opposite direction at the beginning.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was CHAD!!!!  He was running around the park as we ran past and now heading home.

Wendy and Karen were glad that I now had someone to run with and so was I.  They didn't want me to be out there alone.  It was so fun to run with Chad for 3.5 miles and got a call from RAD! :)  Bid Chad goodbye after visiting with him a little at the gate.  It was a little scary to run alone so I picked up the pace.  Encountered a stray dog which came onto the trail minding his own business.  The silence of the trail was interrupted by flocks of migrating geese.   Ran the last 3.25 miles at mp.  Ate 6 Powerbar chews; drank 8 oz. water and 21 oz gatorade.

Feel good to have the weekly mileage back in the 50s again.  Hope to stay there then taper for the week before and after Christmas and hopefully ready for the first marathon of 2012.