Ute Valley in the morning

It was a fantastic morning for a trail run. Our mini-heatwave broke a little and we had 60 degrees with a cool breeze early this morning for our run. We were fortunate to run earlier, as we had a thick cloud cover by 11 am that did not break until later in the evening. We have always avoided Ute Valley during the heat of the day anyway as we have seen more rattle snakes there than anywhere else we have been. And because of the heavy traffic this park gets, the snakes are bold and belligerent, not a good combo when startling a venemous reptile! The trails here still have such a rustic charm to them, regardless of the fact that the park is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. It is wonderful to drop in to the valley floor and be surrounded by such pristine terrain that hides the sight - and sounds - of the bordering homes and streets.
Both of us started out feeling a little "off" but were able to burn-in to our run and really enjoy the trails. Being out in a natural surrounding can do wonders for invigorating both your mind and your spirit - that is the beauty of trail running.
On the top rim of the park, you must share your views with some of the local residents. It is worth it, though, to be less than a mile from trails of this quality. We are most fortunate in that regard! A quote for today - remember you cannot buy what you experience on the trails:

"To find something you can enjoy is far better than finding something you can possess." - Glen Holm

Mid-week at Garden of the Gods

Decided to go somewhere we would not normally run in the evening for the post-work run, so we headed over to Garden of the Gods. Steve did not carry a camera, so here are a couple scenery views from the Siamese Twins Arch from a recent visit to the park. It is hard to resist framing Pikes Peak through the keyhole when you get a chance on a sunny day! It was quite warm this evening, in the upper-80's, so we were testing our electrolyte mixtures - they work well. We have not had much heat yet, but both of us struggle with losing a lot of minerals when we sweat. We'll need some tips from the desert runners.
We got in a very nice 6 mile run, traversing the main outer loop of trails in the park. We were quite happy to have very light trail traffic (and no snakes to give us Jello-leg, either!!!) It was a surprising, good-tempo evening for us and we're hoping to better our speeds if we can get a few more races in. We have always heard that racing makes you run better and faster, hope it's true!!

A smorgasboard post

Today is a "smorgasboard" post - a little bit of everything, and since I am posting today (K), I am doing the girlie thing - pink print! My friend Becky and I headed over to one of our favorite trails, Falcon Trail at the USAFA, on our mountain bikes. As we have posted before, Falcon is a great 13 mile trail loop.We access it via the Santa Fe Trail. The day was nice - sun mixed with a few clouds and very comfortable temps - mid to upper 70's.

Here, I am getting to splish splash through the little creek. The water is really low - we need some rain!
Falcon has a remote feel to it. Below, Becky cruises through the green foilage past a large rock face. We ended our fun ride with about 33.5 miles for the day.
Post ride, I did a few home projects. I enjoy knitting, and although normally a seasonal knitter (winter only), I got a wild hair over the weekend and whipped up a little felted wool purse and a felted wool case for our running camera. I put the finishing touches on those today. The camera case fits nicely in the shoulder pouch on Steve's Nathan pack and pads the camera to keep it from bouncing around.
After completing the knitting projects, several VERY RIPE bananas were begging to be put out of their misery. I obliged and turned them into a couple loaves of tasty banana bread. If you have ripe bananas that need to be used FAST, check out this very delicious recipe from Runner's World:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-309-11861-0,00.html

I saw a very simple bumper sticker while driving home from the trailhead today -

it had a picture of a very "happy" dog and said:

"Wag more, growl less."

I like it. Keep a smile.