Running Observations

I had a good weekend of running - I did 18 on super-sloppy trails at Wyco on Saturday and 11 around the Village yesterday. I was running solo both times, which I realized I miss when all of my runs are with others. Here are some of my observations, ramblings, and musing from my runs this weekend.

• If the saying "Women don't sweat, they glow" is true, then I am a freaking light bulb!
• I see more wildlife when I'm by myself on the trails. While I didn't see any box turtles this weekend, I did see 20+ deer and a bobcat. It was the first time I have seen one in the wild. I wish I had a camera, I was less than 20 feet away from it.
• Hammer gel in espresso flavor makes me gag. Literally.
• You're not a hard-core trail runner until you've had an eye glued shut by running through a spiderweb.
• If you give another runner out on the trails a GU, you will make a friend for life. (Thanks Rick, the last half would have been brutal.)
• Ultra runners are really just people who hate their toenails.
• Sometimes the rhythmic monotony of pounding pavement can be therapeutic. Especially when you don't have to worry about eating spiderwebs.
• Like your mom always said, go to the bathroom before you leave the house, even if you don't have to. Otherwise you could end up 8 miles out, squatting in the bushes in a very upscale neighborhood, hoping no one sees you bare-bottomed and watering the vegetation. Not that I would know anything about that.

My hamstrings are a little tight, but I'm feeling and running well. I'm ready for back-to-back double-digit runs. It's always exciting when you're exploring new territory.