Slow Is Me: July 2015

Sunday, July 5, 2015

RdL Week 6

6/29/15
Monday - 1 streak mile

Tuesday - 8.4 miles. I set our early from the FogDodger parking spot to run towards the lighthouse and back before meeting the others to head down through the park (too early to run the canyon by myself). J showed up right after me so we ran together for 3 miles. Once with the group, we headed down our usual route through the campground and along the creek. On days I want to run with others I shouldn't be in front, somehow I lost the group. The mosquitoes thought I was delicious so I didn't wait at the turnaround. I managed to run all the way up the hill again, and stretched a little when I got back to the truck, but started getting chilled so ended up taking off before the others got back. Sorry I missed you guys!

Russian Gulch - North trail

Wednesday - 8.2 miles with a couple tempo miles. Bleh. I burned up too much energy trying to run up the first steep hill (made it more than half way - huge improvement for me). The plan called for three tempo miles, but I only had about two miles of reasonable enough footing to feel confident speeding up. I need to work on pacing, since I couldn't find a happy medium on my tempo pace and went too hard. Immediately after this stretch is another climb, and I think it was too much too soon. While I made it up the hill (run/walk intervals) I started feeling really sluggish and heavy legged. The last mile and a half back to the truck was really challenging to keep moving, even at a walk. Pushing too hard and not taking fuel (16oz water only) was not my brightest move.

Waterfall at Russian Gulch - very small right now

Thursday - 5.5 miles at Van Damme. Feeling pretty tired, and heading out of town for the day, so just one lap. Should have been 8-10 but felt that might have been pushing it.

Friday - 7 miles, JugHandle. First run with my new Suunto Ambit2 R (not as great as the Ambit2, but better than the Garmin). Not sure I love running with a heart rate monitor - more on that elsewhere. Got a little full of myself in the last mile, and of course the trail rewarded my gall with an unseen tree root to send me sailing through the air with a distinct lack of grace.

Saturday - 8.1 miles in Jackson State Forest with S. This was a very successful run for me, in that I ran the whole way, even with over 1500' of climbing. It got pretty hard sometimes, but I tried to keep my happy face on. A conscious effort to slow down and keep chugging away on the hills got me all the way around. Wheeeee.

Among the Redwoods at Caspar

Sunday - 15 miles. The FogDodgers route was at Caspar logging roads this morning. I set off an hour early, sticking to the road so as to limit the chances of being snacked on. 5 miles by myself, then repeating the route with the others. By 9:00 I felt safe enough on the single track, but was starting to lag, I think due to a lack of fuel. I took Tailwind in my pack, but didn't drink enough on the first two lops, and combined with a lack of breakfast it caught up to me on loop 3. I took a walking break and drank extra to catch up, which finally kicked in for the last mile and a half.

So happy to be on the trail

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Slow Is Me

Motivators..

Sunday, July 5, 2015

RdL Week 6

Trails

Countdown!!

Rocko :)

Sunsets