We woke to another blanket of clouds this morning and put off our plans to run the Rampart Reservoir loop - higher elevation and cloud cover were not appealing, so another day for that. (Anyone interested in Rampart should see this page describing the Pony Express trail race there in September - http://www.pprrun.org/events/PonyExpress/main.htm.) So off we went to run the Falcon Trail on the US Air Force Academy. It was strangely quiet on the trail which is unusual for a weekend. Eventually we did get to enjoy some sunshine and that was a bonus. Kathleen got the day started off on the wrong "foot", so to speak. She stubbed her toe less than 2 minutes into the run, skidded to a stop on her left side, and claimed the grand prize of a nice gouge on the ankle, raspberry on the hip, and scraped calf. (Not to mention the fact that she soiled her new hot pink Dirty Girl gaiters!) No serious injury, though, so we were on our way again after dusting her off a little.
Kathleen running along the northern side of the loop, above the lower reservoirs - it is weird looking down and seeing no water, as they are repairing the eastern wall of the large reservoir and it is completely dry.
Steve running the same section, with Blodgett Peak looming in the background. It stayed hazy for a while as the clouds were burning off, and it was remarkably humid considering our arid climate.
We love to ride this stream crossing on our mountain bikes, especially on warm days. It's a little different prospect while running, as the remaining 5.5 miles with wet feet and shoes could be a little harsh. This nice log bridge is a new addition since last summer and works quite well for foot traffic.
Unfortunately after mile 8, Steve was beginning to feel the effects of not being able to take in any food. It was a strange occurrence that has rarely happened, but he now knows what is meant by having to run the last miles with your head! But we both finished and surprisingly made it in 5 minutes faster than the first time we ran the loop earlier in May. It was a good long run and we earned our calories today - German Chocolate cake to be exact!!!Life is nothing if not a daring adventure. Helen Keller
