The wind, it blow...

And this time, no tears. ~ Tobias Fünke

New format for you format luvvers:

Yesterday: Run – Cirque de Bear Peak, ~15 miles, 3 hours 15 minutes
Today: Ride – Casa del Critters (maybe), ~1 hour
Tomorrow: Run – Golden Gate Canyon State Park, 2 hours

Yesterday’s run went fairly well. The wind in the foothills was nothing short of incredible. Gusts up to 90 mph and not a warm breeze to say the least. Luke, Bob, and I headed out of Eldorado Springs about 6:00 and ran through the park for a while to Eldorado Springs Trail (or something like that). Then up we went to a beautiful rolling trail that overlooked the canyon. This dropped down to Walker Ranch where we proceeded to take an unmapped road, bushwhack back to the planned road, and drop down into Bear Canyon on the front side of the Flatirons.

I felt okay for the most part, though Luke was really pushing the pace. We were chasing the sunlight a bit, so it was good that he kept us moving at a steady clip, though my heart rate was not where I wanted it to be. I think the combo of taking a couple of weeks off and allergy season has my system a little taxed. I seemed to feel better the longer we ran with the exception of very tight hamstrings and calves – probably holdovers from my hard effort on Tuesday.

We jammed down Bear, and I managed to keep up with Luke pretty well, which, if you haven’t guessed already, is a tough chore. He just flies downhill, and try as I might, I still haven’t been able to keep up the whole way down Bear ever. I turned my ankle pretty well at one point, but it seems to be okay, just a little sore today. My tendonitis issue seems to be behind me as I had no problems and no residual effects this morning. That is great news.

We ran South along Mesa Trail in the fading light, wary of bears and big kitties, but saw none. The last mile and a half or so was on a severely overgrown trail that would have been tough to run in daylight, much less in the conditions we were experiencing post sundown. We made it back to the Eldorado Springs Pool at about 9:15. We dropped Bob back at his house, and Luke and Nichole treated me to a hot shower, warm tea, and yummy PB & strawberries on Bible bread. Good stuff.

The trees in Boulder took the brunt of this windstorm, with several large branches and trees toppled in the road as I drove home. The weather this year has been nutty. We typically experience high winds on occasion but nothing like what we have experienced over the course of the last 6 months. Not sure what is going on, but I worry about the effect of these climate changes on the flora and fauna. It is one thing to have marked change occur over the course of one’s lifetime, but for these changes to be coming so quickly is a bit unnerving.

And I leave you with a poem written by Marge Piercy, sent to me by Pete:

What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can t walk, can’t remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can’t blame them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.

But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.

Two people can keep each other
sane, can give support, conviction,
love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation,
a committee, a wedge. With four
you can play bridge and start
an organization. With six
you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no
seconds, and hold a fundraising party.
A dozen make a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.



It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again after they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.

See you out there.