They all can't be "easy" runs.

8 miles. Hood route to legacy trail over the SWOM bridge and back. Extra effort last 1/4 mile. 40 deg. at the run start. No snow this morning. I don't think the possibility of snow was as close as advertised. 

3 on the trails. 50 degrees. 

8 miles. Hood route to legacy trail over the SWOM bridge and back. Extra effort last 1/4 mile. 60 deg., 25% hum., 27 d.p. Even with the great weather conditions, something felt off at halfway on the run. 

3 on the trails plus (4) x 100m at extra effort + jog back at soccer field on first 2 laps. 

Then toYbor City for a quick trip with Spouse. 

3 on the trails after driving back from Ybor City. 55 degrees and 25 mph winds. But that's not what cut this run short. It was the large cuban snadwich and side of beans and rice lunch. I ate enough food for this week, I think. 

3.5 miles hood route, then 1 on the trails. 45 degrees at the start of the run. 

8 miles. Hood route to legacy trail over the SWOM bridge and back. Extra effort last 1/4 mile+. This run felt pretty darn good. 

4 on the trails. 68 deg., 36% hum., 41 d.p. weather was perfect. I could have gone much further, but I tripped and fell on lap 3, and had to tuck and roll. I can't believe it. I know these trails. How does this happen? 

4 on the trails. another evening run. Great weather. I met another similar speed runner. Mike - His daughter was at softball practice. Much younger dude. Ran with him for about a 1/4 mile. 

8 miles. Hood route to Legacy Trail over the SWOM bridge and back. Extra effort mile, especially last 3/4 mile. 72 degrees, 51% hum., 52 d.p.

4 on the trails plus (4) x 100m at extra effort + jog back at soccer field on first 2 laps. 74 degrees. 

4 on the trails. I totally wasn't feeling it. But then....

On lap 2, an elderly couple were walking their dog. he tripped and fell near the parallel bars. I asked them if he needed some help. They politely said no. He got up and they were on their way. I saw them later on the lap. 

On lap 3, a guy with sweatpants and a soccer jersey asks me if I lost my keys. I said no, but did you find them by the parallel bars? He said yes. I said there's an elderly couple walking a dog, about 150 yards that way, I'm pretty sure those are their keys.  

On lap 4, I see the elderly couple again. and I asked them if they have their keys. They are surprised that I knew they lost their keys. So I told them about the seatpants guy. How is it even possible that they missed each other? I ran down to the soccer feilds, looking for the sweatpants guy and couldn't find him. Then ran back to the olds. The old couple had a great attitude, and said it was only their mailbox keys. No big deal. But where did sweatpants guy go? 

Also, at various points on this very short run, there were 3 groups of people walking their dogs off leash, 2 kids on electric dirt bikes ripping around (no bikes allowed out here), and a group of people pointing at a bobcat in the woods. Because I was on this weird scavenger hunt run tonight, I ran a lot faster than I think I would have. So many distractions. I went running to sort out some stuff, and I never got to think about those things. 

8 miles. Hood route to Legacy Trail over the SWOM bridge and back. I'm trying to level out the extra effort for the last mile, instead of having it loaded to the end. 74 degrees, 73% hum., 60 d.p.,but overcast, so it felt better than the temps say. 

8 miles. Hood route to Legacy Trail over the SWOM bridge and back. Some extra effort for the last mile, but not as much as yesterday. 79 degrees, 51% hum., 59 d.p.

I talked to my neighbor for a while at halfway. He was out walking. He sold his house, so I guess he wont be my neighbor much longer. He's a good dude. He has hosted the neighborhood superbowl party for the last eleventy years. 

My brother is trying to get me to go with him to Tahoe next weekend. He says the west coast is supposed to get blasted with snow this week. I love snowboarding, but I can't make that happen. 

4 on the trails after church. It was a pretty good sermon this week. After the run, a guy stopped me on pinebrook road and asked me what the dead animal was, that the vultures were eating. I told him it was an opossum. He said he has never seen one of those before. I told him I have seen more dead ones than living ones. 

3 on the trails after driving back from fort Lauderdale. My niece had a ballet recital. It was really impressive. The run was miserable though. I wasn't feeling it, and a drone enthusiast thought it would be neat to follow me with his drone.

8 miles. Hood route to Legacy Trail over the SWOM bridge and back. No extra effort for the last mile. 80 degrees, 54% hum., 60 d.p.

3 on the trails before sunset after a very long day.

5 pm run. Venetian Waterway Park plus a new thing. At the finish ofthe 5 mile loop, I continued tothe north, went under the north bridge, went over the north bridge over the intracoastal, back under the north bridge, back over the north bridge over the intracoastal, back to the start point. That's only 1.65 of a new thing. But that's way more climbing than I am used to. 72 deg, 81% hum., 65 d.p. I feel like that was a pretty good run, where Iwas pushing paces at times. 

10 miles on Venetian Waterway Park. Finished after dark. 5 pm start. I felt like running longer. It's been a stressful week. 

About a mile into the run I felt the need to pee. Knowing that there is usually no one around at the turn around near the Marina, at 2.5 miles, I figured I would wait until then. As I got to the turn around, there were people sitting on a bench. When I saw them I smiled and said "I was kind of hoping there would be no one here." They asked why and I told them. They said "Go ahead!" She said "I might join you!" which got a laugh out of me. We got to talking. 

Alan and Annie. Both of them were wearing tie dye shirts, she had pink - cotton candy looking - hair. Lots of it. He was wearing a colorful hat and shoes. Very friendly folks. They were in their late sixties, maybe early seventies. She said "Do you want to see my pet turtle? I take him for a walk every day." In her lap was a small box turtle. "You guys are some kind of different, huh?" They asked me how long I lived here, and I gave them my Venice backstory. Since we could see the Circus bridge from where we were, I told them about the whole town turning out to watch Ringling Brothers bring the animals over the bridge to the winter headquarters, when I was young. He told me that's part of the reason they retired here. He was a puppeteer for children. He went to a show with 500 kids, realized he forgot his puppets, and started blowing up balloons. From that day on, he created a show with balloons, that his wife performed in, dressed as as an insect, for some reason. They toured the world doing this balloon show for children. This was their only job for their entire lives. They have an adult son. When they got to Venice, they saw the circus stuff, and decided this place was a good fit. 

I was completely fascinated by this couple and their story. I talked to them for about 30 minutes, but I could have talked to them all night. They spoke every sentence in a non-threatening sing song voice. It was completely obvious, in hindsight, that they have spent their entire lives talking to children. I'm still smiling thinking about this.

THEY RETIRED FROM A CAREER OF BLOWING UP BALLOONS!

5 pm run. Venetian Waterway Park plus. Same deal as Thursday. 67 deg, 94% hum., 65 d.p. I'm Really starting to like this run. No tie dye - pink haired - balloon performers today. 

1 pm run. Venetian Waterway Park plus. Much faster today. 67 deg, 78% hum., 57 d.p. Overcast and very windy. 

3 on the trails. then I ran out of light.

5:30 pm run. Venetian Waterway Park plus North Bridge. 52 deg. 

4 miles. Hood Route plus SMH. 36 degrees. I wish I had a sauna. 

28 of us left. I'm freaking out a little bit.

10 miles on Venetian waterway Park at lunch. Mid 70's degrees, I'm guessing. 

3 on the trails plus (4) x 100m at extra effort + jog back at soccer field on first 2 laps. 80 deg., 69% hum., 69 d.p.

11 miles - Venetian Waterway Park West. Starting at the Circus Bridge, North to under, over, under, and over the North Bridge. South to Caspersen Beach and back to the Circus Bridge. Overcast and slightly raining until the last 3 miles. I'm pretty sore from this one.