Day 172: Fri Jan 31st - Speedy day

Day One Hundred Seventy-Two: Speedy day

this made me giggle

Didn't get a photo taken today. Had to rush out the door, ran my tail off and had to get back. Definitely a good speed workout tho. 
The bear photo above made me laugh. I sometimes envision what I would do in certain situations when I am out running. This is one of the wild scenarios I play in my mind, especially if I'm running in more of an isolated woodsy area.  
Which led me to wonder... what DO you do if a bear is chasing you. 
Google search #78, 369 

Here are some of the funny answers I read on Field and Stream:

"What do I do when I'm being chased by a bear..."

Top Rated

All Answers

from

hold your breath, turn around, take your time, aim and shoot it dead, dont miss or your toast

+3 Good Comment? 

from

Step one: Put your head between your legs
Step two: Kiss your a$$ goodbye

+4 Good Comment? 

from Drop your pack if you have one. This could be your best chance of distracting the bear. If you stay calm, it may get preoccupied with your pack, especially if it contains food and allow for a clean getaway. If the bear has already started chasing you and it’s you it’s after, I would revert to the previous two answers.
 +5 Good Comment?

from Throw it a jar of honey! That one in my kids Hundred Acre Woods books sure seemed to like it!

from

if its Brown,...lay down. If its black,...Fight back!
 

from

you dont have to out run the bear just the person you are with
 

Though this next one seems to have some pretty good suggestions:

from

1.) Carry bear pepper spray. Experts recommend that hikers in bear country carry with them bear pepper spray. Bear pepper spray is a highly concentrated capsaicin spray that creates a large cloud. This stuff will usually stop a bear in it’s tracks.
2.) Don’t run. When you run, the bear thinks you’re prey and will continue chasing you, so stand your ground. And don’t think you can out run a bear. Bears are fast. They can reach speeds of 30 mph.
3.) Drop to the ground in the fetal position and cover the back of your neck with your hands. If you don’t have pepper spray or the bear continues to charge even after the spray, this is your next best defense. Hit the ground immediately and curl into the fetal position.
4.) Play dead. Grizzlies will stop attacking when they feel there’s no longer a threat. If they think you’re dead, they won’t think you’re threatening. Once the bear is done tossing you around and leaves, continue to play dead. Grizzlies are known for waiting around to see if their victim will get back up.
Pepper Spray ...

Learned something new today.  Bring a friend who is slower than myself! However, this might not be easy. Everyone I know who runs... runs faster than I do!

Day 171: Thurs Jan 30th - Fox Hunt Diversion

While I was snapping this photo....

Day One Hundred Seventy-One:
Fox Hunt Diversion

A photo collage of Jax on the hunt mid-run.

Jax heard something scamper by......

A strong wiff of the air..

Fresh footsteps of what ran past us.

A scent. 

Must. Follow. It.

Raised Hackles.

 

After letting him enjoy his time smelling and tracking the scent... it was time to go. 

"JAX! Let's go!... come on..... "   Eventually he snapped out of his intense pursuit and  ran around in hyper ape shit mode as if  celebrating his good fortune.   

Funny dog.

Day 170: Wed Jan 29th - Where NOT to run.

Day One Hundred Seventy: Where NOT to run.

 NOT HERE.....

                              NOR HERE................................and definitely NOT HERE.

                                                this is iffy.... proceed with caution.

Trust me...I learned the hard way. This is what I ran on this morning thinking the trail dirt would be a bit more exposed. 
Ice is sneaky and not very runner friendly. It lies.
  Very ready for Spring!  :)
 

Day 167, 168 & 169: Tuesday Jan 28th - Glorious Sunrise(s)

Day 167, 168 & 169 - Glorious Sunrise(s) 

Nice weekend and Monday off work. The past few mornings have been beautiful!
Yesterday Jax and I braved the higher trails on my second favorite route which tends to be on the slippery side early in the morning, so with careful footfalls I was able to avoid a bruised bottom and broken limbs.  There were a few close calls as we crested the top of a particularly steep ridge.  I tried to use Jax to my advantage (his 4 paws and power can come in handy from time to time) and had him go up first, helping guide me up a bit while I got my footing situated, however this plan nearly backfired as he caught the whiff of some dogs marking and started back down... dragging me down what would have been a painful ice slide (about 15 ft down).  I yanked my arm grabbing the closest branch and was able to find a dry patch to dig my foot in to regain my balance.  After a quick growl from me and a rush of adrenaline, we headed back up to the top successfully.  I think I will wait for Spring before attempting that portion of the trail again.. lol

Speaking of spring, we have some rain coming our way and mountain snow.  Love it!

Day 166: Sat Jan 25th - Broken Stairway = New Paths

Day One Hundred Sixty-six:  Broken Stairway = New Paths

Time to find a new path?

I love a good challenge.  Obstacles are just reminders to reevaluate, be creative and not be afraid to forge ahead in a new direction.  I'm ready for a new direction, though I don't know exactly what that means.  

I'm definitely excited to put winter behind me.  Looking forward to warmer temperatures and lighter running gear.

Day 165: Fri Jan 24th - Frozen Hands

Day One Hundred Sixty-five:
 - Frozen Hands

Forgot my gloves this morning. Realized it early on but didn't want to turn back to get them. After the first mile I noticed my hands turned bright red almost matching my band-aid.

(I cut my thumb cooking last night). 

I can be pretty clumsy in the kitchen, however it is one of my favorite places to be.  You forget and don't appreciate all your thumbs do for you, even the most tediously small task, until you can't use them directly. Ouch!

Just a small cut... but ouch just the same.

I felt happy with how fast I ran this morning. Great clip there and back again, leaving me breathless but grateful the air was in the green! 

HIGH FIVE.. Today is Friday!!  Just be careful of my thumb.

 

Day 164 - Thurs Jan 23rd - Get me outta here!!

Nope... this isn't a photo of a mystical fog enveloping the land.

DAY 164 - Get me OUTTA here!!

<------------------------------  IT'S INSANE!!!

I said I would focus on the beautiful parts of my run.  But enough is enough.  The air is so thick you can taste it, leaving your throat dry, your nose and head stuffy and your asthma spray on empty. I long for the Northwest air, trees and green!

Climbing up on the foothills we were able to escape the most dense parts of the blucky valley.  Jax had a ball running off leash, slipping on ice and marking his territory throughout the trail. I did a bit of slipping as well. Probably not the best idea to run up here, but I'd rather risk a bruised bottom than run through that muck :)

Smile!

Day 160, 161, 162 and 163 Ups and Downs - life in 4 days...

Day 160, 161, 162 & 163

Ups and Downs - life in 4 days....

 

Well... once again I proved how challenging it is for me to write the blog while at home. My laggy laptop didn't help.  It was an up and down 4 days, challenged further by a bit of a bad stomach bug :(

Running was also up and down.  Some up days and some down days, but ran them all the same.  

On a positive note :)

Sunday was particularly beautiful. The river was completely frozen. Jax had fun running around the shallow ice areas, playing and jumping around like a child on too much sugar. We crunched around on the ice contemplating life and why area dog owners refuse to pick up their poo.  ggrrrrrrr

Monday through this morning the inversion was pretty yuck. Luckily I run early enough it doesn't seem as bad. However later in the day it is downright terrible. Good news! a mini wind storm is supposed to come by and clear some of it out tomorrow.

beauty vs. the beast of inversion

Day 159: Sat Jan 18th - Solitude

  Day One Hundred Fifty-nine:

Solitude 

I think it comes to no surprise to people who know me well that I am definitely not a social bug.  While I do enjoy an occasional get together, event or dinner, I overall prefer solitude.  Running gives me solitude. A place to be by myself. To have quiet from the busy world demands.  A place to reflect, to grow and to recharge.  This might be my favorite part about running itself.  Running can make me feel like I am running away from everyday life problems and stresses, without actually running away. It gives me an opportunity to re-gain perspective, peace and the solitude I seek. This solitude has helped me recover sanity, dissolve frustrations, let go of worry and open myself to understanding. 

Even if it is just for a few moments. 

Day 158: Fri Jan 17th - The Incredible Sinking Full Moon

Day One Hundred Fifty-eight:
The Incredible Sinking Full Moon

Again my phone camera doesn't do the full moon justice. 
I swear it looked 400% bigger and much more beautiful to my naked eye than it did through the lens of my phone.
It's funny how that works. The moon was so large and full that for a moment I stood still and took it in before attempting a photo. I didn't include the close up photos here as they were a disaster and look more like a photo attempted while chewing on some hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Marvelous run. I went to bed early last night and slept very well for a change.Today's run mirrored my nights sleep as it also left me feeling refreshed and alive.  I love that feeling.

Funny story: I was playing Skyrim (yep...I'm a nerd) with my older daughter on the xbox and she marveled at how truly beautiful the game graphics were. Siena commented that she thinks the graphics in the game are more beautiful than real life. I agreed that while they are very pretty, in my opinion, Skyrim is a far cry from how beautiful real nature and the world can be.
I told her she should go trail running with me again soon and she will see how beautiful outside can be. 
She gave me the eye rolling 'there-is-no-way-in-hell' look while slowly shaking her head. lol


However, Skyrim is quite beautiful for a virtual world. lol