grand rounds

  The flowers on Montara Mountain showed up in every color of the palate this morning.  My split times on my run were a little slower than they could have been because I couldn't stop taking photographs!

The petals and leaves were dipped in dew, and the foggy light made the colors seem even more luscious and vivid than they often are in sunwashed light.  These reds are Indian Paintbrush.  They were all over the place. The Oranges and Yellows below I don't know the names of.  I only know that they are prolific and awesome right now, which makes running this magical trail even more magical (as if that is possible)!

Since my injury last December it has been a somewhat sad, but ultimately informative time in my running.  Thanks to UCSF sports medicine I have become a stronger runner, a faster runner and a more patient runner.

 Training patiently is the most difficult aspect of distance running for me, and I think that most of us suffer the same affliction.  Keeping the mileage low while building strength and endurance is difficult, particularly when the addictive forces of running are always calling me out to the trails.  Even more difficult is looking at the calendar, seeing the big races coming, knowing that I could probably run them, but the havoc it might wreak on the tendons, joints, ligaments would only set me back further in the long run. (no pun intended).

 Thankfully, I've gotten myself mostly back on track, with only a minor set back, when looking at the big picture.  I had hoped to run the Catalina Island 50 mile race in Jan 2014, but it looks like that will have to wait one more year.  In the mean time, I've got some fun local races coming up that I am excited about:

Mt. Diablo, June 2
Pacifica, July 14
The Ventura Triathalon July 28
Napa Womens Triathalon October 13
and the Huntington Beach Marathon in Feb 2014.

That's just the short list.  Of course more will inevitably be added. 

 In the mean time, I am happy to have found shoes that work for me, Saucony Shay XC2 running flats.  A dear friend, and serious ultra runner back home in Newport turned me on to xc running flats as an inexpensive alternative to "minimalist" shoes, which ironically tend to cost upwards of $150-180.00.  What is minimalist about that?!
But the xc flats are truly minimal, and come with a price tag near $60 dollars.  Wonderful bargain and super fun to run in at a total weight of about 6oz.

It's as close to barefoot as you are likely to get, and you don't have to wear those goofy 5 toe things that let rocks get stuck between your toes... 

Wild Iris, I recognize.
Morning Glory, another familiar flower...

This is the reason I believe in god(s) and don't go to a building to worship the earth.  All of the best parts of creation do not exist between 4 walls, and do not need to be preached, not to me at least.

These are some examples of majesty... 

And these are my trusty steeds after a good morning workout today... now, out to pasture at our home in The Outer Richmond, San Francisco, California, Planet Earth.  A lovely place to be.