Another great trail run. Sooner or later my luck is going to run out and I’m totally going to bonk (like, probably during my upcoming 18-miler, lol). Until then, I’m going with the flow, as the New Agers say. I’m staying totally zen. I’m, like, chilling out.

This was an easy-paced 5.5 mile run in the early afternoon. The sun was shining and I was happy and the whole run felt bathed in the same golden light as you can see in the photos. I so love this light. It will be gone soon, when the leaves bud and the grass shoots up and the green takes over. Until then, I’m soaking up as much as I can.

And we saw snow! Some of last of it (and good riddance, too) clinging to the banks of Campbell Creek.

When we were running up the steep high above the creek my partner said, “Channel your inner Peka,” and I laughed so hard I had to lean over and gasp. (We were running with Seriously and my friend’s dog, Peka, who is really fast and never, ever slows down.) I think that’s called runner’s humor, you know, the kind of thing that’s only funny when you’re running and filled with all of those yummy endorphins.

We also passed this sign, which is significant because last summer I was charged, twice, by an uptight black bear sow while running on these very trails but farther from the creek, where it’s supposedly safer. (Hello! It’s not.)

After the run we sat out in the sun and admired the mountains.

Then I went home and ate a large bowl of HOT curried quinoa. Three hours later I cursed this meal choice as I cranked out five tempo miles on the treadmill. My stomach grumbled but I made it through. I enjoy doing speedwork and shortish tempo runs on the treadmill. It keeps me honest. I can’t slow my pace, not for a moment. Plus it gives me a chance to sweat. It’s not warm enough outside to sweat hard and I love to sweat, love to run until my clothes and even my hair is damp. So yeah, the treadmill is boring as crap but it has its occasional good points.

I ended up with 10.5 miles for the day. Then I went home and had yet another bowl of curry because, you know, once your stomach is on fire you might as well feed it more fuel.

P.S. The first big race of the year, the Heart Run, is this weekend. I’m not running. It’s a 5K, which I don’t particularly enjoy, and I’m in the middle of a big writing project and don’t want to get up early to suffer through 3.1 miles. (I will, however, get up early to suffer through 13 or 26 miles–how messed up is that?)