Day 71: Tues Oct 22nd - Poor Snake

Day Seventy-one:  Cold blues, poor snake and more sunshine.

 

Still feeling blah... damn cold, but I'm better off than this poor guy.  

Not exactly an inspirational type photo... but it's not every day you nearly step on a recently run over snake. yuck. 
Jax was very interested in sniffing his guts. 

On  occasion I am lucky enough to see a live snake basking on warm rocks, a fox running from brush to brush, deer and other animal tracks frequently leaving clues in the dirt and sand. I love to catch a glimpse of the diverse wildlife along the trails, sadly a glimpse is all I get and *poof*... they are gone before I am able to get my camera out.  

Back to the deceased snake. It's a bummer when I find an animal that faced a sudden demise. I would usually never take a gross photo, but today. I did. 


Quite appropriate for the near Halloween holiday. Boo! 

                                                     The sunshine is beautiful outside.   

Day 70: Mon Oct 21st - Seventy Sniffles

Day Seventy:  Seventy Sniffles

Yay 70!.. Boo sniffles :(  I hate to admit I am starting to fight some kind of evil nasty.  My nose and head are feeling blah. As for today's run, despite the sniffles, it was good, if a little chilly. I cannot get enough of the bold gift of colors given to us by nature. I'm at awe with each turn on the trail and find I could take photos all day.  Time to grab some zinc, make a super smoothie and then drink some hot tea. Girls are back in school after an active 4 day Autumn break. Our race is this Saturday, though we still haven't decided on what our costumes will be...?   Any ideas?

 

Day 69: Sun Oct 20th - What a Bountiful Day

Day Sixty-nine:  Vegetables, fruit, a good local beer..... and poo

Went running on the trail while kids and Justin went searching for more werewolf clues.  Siena was a bit bummed out as there weren't as many clues to be found. The park was also quite busy for a Sunday. Afterwards we went to the Farmers Market. One of my favorite places.  I love all the fresh fruits and vegetables and dream of the many yummy recipes for each.  Sadly the market ends next Sunday :(

The weather couldn't have been more perfect. 64 degrees, Autumn sunshine, leaves and pumpkins. 

Hmmmmm.....now what to make first!  Love our local farmer's markets!

You had one job (mysterious dog owner) and you half -assed it. 

 

Day 68: Sat Oct 19th - Werewolf Hunting

Sixty-eight: Evening run, the moon and werewolves....

Went running  / werewolf hunting this evening before dinner with Siena. We were in search of evidence of the werewolf due to last nights spectacular full moon. We found many clues... you be the judge   ;)

Sun slowly setting before dinner.

Siena spotted a den.

Large paw print, unusual shape

A secondary print.. much larger than Jax paw

.

Close up view of the den, surrounded by large thorn trees. As we were leaving we both heard a loud low growl... after which we took off at a fast sprint off the trail and back home.  

 

 

 

 

Happy werewolf hunting!!!

 

Day 67: Fri Oct 18th - Sunshine and Playmobil

Day Sixty-seven: Fall sunshine, afternoon runs and Playmobil

Another not so easy getting up kind of morning. lol   So an afternoon run was on the schedule. Well, at least something today. On my lunch hour, my daughter Iz and I went for a quick run, played at the park for a minute and ran back, just in time to shower and get back into work clothes! Whew!
Now I am at my desk eating a  yogurt and feel rejuvenated.  57 degrees and sunshine, it was lovely outside.  If I had my way it would be this temperature all year round... with occasional storms thrown in to mix things up. I'm definitely not a summer kind of girl.
Iz brought a Playmobil character on our run, she was not easy to keep up with, neither was Iz... she is so naturally fast!

 

Day 66: Thurs Oct 17th - Wings on dogs



Day Sixty-six:   Wings on dogs.

We flew today. Literally my feet felt like I was gliding across the ground - thanks to Jax! I love days like this.  Jax started the run fast.  You could tell he was in the best energetic mood, tail wagging to the beat of his feet. He usually runs right by my side or slightly behind, but today he kept moving forward, urging me to move my feet faster. When he saw that I would speed up, his tail would wag enthusiastically.  Occasionally he would glance back and I swear you could see a big smile of happiness on his doggie face.  So I pushed my feet and lungs.... and it was perfect.   We even climbed this quick steep sand hill to exit the trail and by the time we were heading back home, it felt like we were flying.

Day 65: Wed Oct 16th - Frozen Leaves and Thorns

Day Sixty-five:  Frozen leaves, thorns and an ouch.

 

Frost covered most things this morning, including the thorns Jax's feet seem to be highly attracted to.  The thorns are plaguing him more lately. As if the little buggers come out of hiding in the frozen ground and seek his warm paw bed to attach to, bringing us abruptly to a halt. Again and again, the routine is whip lash from the dead  stop mid-stride (as if I'm that fast.. ha!), affected paw up in the air, stretching the hamstrings as I bend and flick off the evil prickly thing and then off we go again... only to another HALT!!              Stop... Repeat. *sigh*

 

My ouch is actually more concerning as the right side of my right foot has been aching badly the past two days. I worry about developing a stress facture, as frankly, that would be a pain to deal with right now. While I run, it doesn't hurt as much once I'm warmed up, but if I land on that side, due to the uneven trails, it is instant pain.  Afterwards it is a dull ache all day.

I wrap it, ice it, ibuprofen it and the biggest feat of all, is ignore it. 

 

Any ideas on how to help, prevent and heal this area? (besides not running of course... as that isn't an option.. foolish as it may be ;)

 





 

Day 64: Tues Oct 15th - "Inspire" Uplifting Graffiti

Day Sixty-four: Uplifting graffiti and frozen hands

One word: Inspire.  Seen newly spray painted on the side of the building located along the horse trail. It got me thinking. My Mp3 died a few minutes before, so I ran in silence when I glanced at the word....'Inspire' and took the below photo.             A good time for self-reflection and a question:
What inspires you? What do you inspire?   Think about it today, I know I will.

(also, my hands were  FREEZING!)

Day 63: Mon Oct 14th - Is this Heaven? I think so.

Day Sixty-three: Leaves, leaves and more leaves

Need I say more?!  I'm surpised I managed to run as quickly as I did today as I wanted to stop and marvel at the bright and amazing colors surrounding the hillside. It was incredible. Some of the trails up here are really closed in and you become enveloped in leaves and the smells of fall.
I wanted to memorize the beauty, jump into the leaves and make a blanket out of them, basking in their fantastic ranges of deep red, orange, bright and almost fluorescent yellows in a background of deep green.

 My phone camera doesn't capture how beautiful it is in person.  Sadly, the photo below was a bright carpet of Autumn colors, but came out blurry and muted.
Have you been able to enjoy the Autumn season falling around you? If not, you must. It goes away too fast.  Soon the snows will arrive with it's own version of beautiful.

 

Day 62: Sun Oct 13th - Breaking Bad

Day Sixty-two:  Breaking Bad, beer and morning rain.
Rainy run, my favorite!  Seriously, it's true.. I love rain and running in it! Good thing I found a plastic bag in my jacket to seal up my phone as I wasn't quite prepared for the rain.  The one time I wasn't obsessively checking my weather phone app to see what to anticipate, it pours. I went out in my short sleeve running shirt, shorts and other gear in hand.  1/2 way on my route, rain started pouring down, but it was a mild temperature and lovely out. It was a fun surprise. 
Last night was unusual as I stayed up very late (for me), drank a few beers and watched the first four episodes season one of Breaking Bad (great show by the way), finally fell asleep after a restless time getting comfortable and dreamed a small snippet of a dream...that I was holding chemistry equipment, feeling confused about how to start a batch of meth to make money and I kept looking for Walter White (main character) to help me figure it out .  It was bizarre. 

Anyone watch Breaking Bad?