Kenny and I left for the day to head up to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, which is just a couple of hours north of Silverton, Colorado. The river running through it is a beautiful emerald green and is described as 'Class V to unnavigable'. I think we'll skip kayaking that! We did a little hiki
ng on some of the trails there - probably about 4 miles. The wall of rock behind me in the picture looks like it is right behind me, but it is actually in the middle of the canyon, which is quite vast. Then, a little further back, is another wall of rock. We then drove up through the small town of Hotchkiss and then back down to Silverton. The area around Hotchkiss had amazing color - the hillsides were brilliant displays of orange, yellow and burgandy. The changing of the seasons reminds me that NOTHING stays the same. No matter how difficult things get in life, there always seems to be an end to the suffering at some point and then a new beginning - one with fresh hope. Fall reminds me that we all need to take a break, regroup and rethink our life, so come spring, we can be ready to grow again. 
ch was about 6 miles. I ran past the Old 100 Gold Mine through Cunningham Gulch, which has beautiful mountain views, a stream alongside, changing leaves, and no pavement or concrete! Most of the rest of the run is along the Animas River, which flows through Silverton. It was amazing! Running in such beautiful country is such a treat. I was a
little winded from the elevation (still getting used to it) but I really enjoyed doing a little longer run. It was not as easy as my desert runs in Tucson, but I could tell I was feeling better. The view going into Silverton was wonderful - Silverton is nestled in a little valley surrounded by huge mountains. Kenny was working at his art gallery in Silverton, so he gave me a ride back to the cabin. I'll be doing this trail run again.
o travel on a 4WD road that has a lot of switchbacks. It is about 4 miles up the mountain, but it took us over an hour to get up there and about an hour to get back down. The lake itself is not that impressive (it is above treeline - sparse vegetation at the top) but the drive was spectac
ular. A storm was brewing off in the distance, so I took some interesting pictures of the activity over the mountains.
The train was done running for the day, so we were safe. The section of the Colorado trail that we hiked was mostly downhill
, although it was plenty challenging with the elevation and the steepness of the area. The picture of me on the trail with the backdrop of the mountains looks so unreal! It almost looks like I'm in an Olan Mills picture studio! We were still fairly high on the tr
ail heading down to the tracks when the picture was taken, so the view was just incredible. The tracks were very hard to walk on - almost like a step workout! We found lots of old discarded railroad spikes and the valley was gorgeous. Our hike took us a little over 3 hours and we were plenty tired when we were done. We had to park one vehicle at the end of the hike and another we drove up to the trailhead. Crossing some of the railroad bridges was a little scary... looks like from the picture that we were actually 'trespassers'.
Later that aft
ernoon, Dixie and I went on a 3.5 mile run around Cunningham Gulch, which is beautiful! We are staying in a cabin up there, which is near the Old 100 Gold Mine. The leaves are changing and are a sign that fall has arrived. All the pine trees, mountains and streams make it just an amazing place to run. I was pretty winded from that run - the elevat
ion near the cabin is even higher than Silverton, and my lungs were trying to adjust! It always takes a few days to get a little acclimated. I like a little bit of a longer run, but I was tr
ying to take it easy until I was fully acclimated. It was a little cool, but Dixie didn't notice - she was playing in the creek. She loves the water, no matter how cold it is!
I feel very connected spiritually up here. It is just too beautiful for words. Thank you God for the changing leaves, the majestic mountains, the deer and the marmots, and for bringing people (and dogs) into my life that love and cherish me!
ss area, it is mostly high desert vegetation. I needed a trail run!
So I he
aded down the trail, which had a beautiful view and gentle rolling hills for about .6 mile until I hit the stairs (see the picture on the left). The trail is pretty much one granite rock step after another for the next mile so it wasn't very runnable in those areas. However, with all the stairs (there were at least a couple of hundred!) even when I had to hike and not ru
n, I felt like it was very good training for the Bisbee Stair Climb Race, which is coming up on October 20th - my birthday! I was also fairly tired and sore from yesterday's run, which was about 12 miles, and I got a late start this morning, so it was very hot! Who knows, maybe I'll conquer this trail of stairs someday and run the heck out of them!
undtrip. The trail disappeared on the last .3 mile stretch to the Falls. It was just brush and bushes (see the picture on the left), but I was able to find my way alright. We are definitely drying out - there was only a trickle at the Falls (it was such a trickle, that it can hardly be seen in the picture!). I was the only one out there, and it was getting hot, so I figured I better he
ad on back. I made great time back, since I could (sort of) run down the trail steps. Some parts were still too rocky and steep, so I had to take my time on those parts.
rail shoes with my hot pink trail gaiters. I have only worn these shoes when I did my trail runs in North Carolina in June (it has been 2 and half months since I have done a real trail run!) so it was good to try them out on the Tucson trails. They are so comfy! I ran into a hiker that said he could see me a mile away with those hot pink gaiters! I got them at Dirty Girl Gaiters online. I just like them because they are PINK and they keep the dirt and pebbles out.
Yes, a new skirt. They are all I ever run in! I now have enough that I can go 2 weeks of running without doing laundry! This one is from Skirtsports and is called 'Roller Girl'. It has 'girl shorties', which are just a little more substantial than underwear and have two pockets to put things in. I took the picture from the back, because it is so cute and flouncy in the back! The waistband is silky, and the skirt is all mesh. I wore it on my 12 mile run today and it was very comfortable and I received lots of complements from the running girlfriends (thanks gals, you all make me feel great!). Nancy, Lisa, Laurie (who will be running the many Tucson trails with me starting in November!), Sue and I ran out East today along Old Spanish Trail and through some neighborhoods that were all dirt roads (yes, yes, dirt is good!!!). My body always thanks me for running on trails, sand, or dirt roads. If I had more access to them, I would run trails every day! Tomorrow, I'll be heading out on the Douglas Spring Trail towards Bridal Veil Falls. Can't wait!
Injinji running socks. They look so funny! Yes, like the toe socks from the '70's! Anyone remember those? And of course, they were PINK, so I couldn't pass them up. The fabric was wonderful, and though I was skeptical at first, because my toes felt funny, I forgot I even had them on until I took my shoes off after my run. I'll try them again for my trail run tomorrow - they are supposed to help with blisters, which I don't have too much trouble with, but we'll see what else they can do! Check out this article on the founders of Injinji - very interesting. The article says that the name Injinji comes from the founders' chance meeting with someone who is a drummer. The article quoted the drummer as saying, "...drummers like to achieve a certain level of performance 
This fabulous Labor Day was the Saguaro National Monument 8 mile race, sponsored by the Southern Arizona Roadrunners (SAR). I am proud of myself, since I did better than last year (and the year before)! Here are my results from today's race and the last 2 years:
ket pick-up at the Running Shop on Saturday with Steve and Sheryl Felde. We were busy the entire time, and we had great fun. If you want to feel a part of something, it is always a good idea to get involved and give freely of your time! Plus, I got a coffee mug at the race as a gift of appreciation (and free lunch during - thanks Sharon from the Running Shop). Here I am posing with the mug after the race (in front of my artistic husband's beautiful bear creation):
Today, my friend Nancy and I ran the Saguaro National Monument East 8 mile loop. The race is fast approaching on Labor Day, so we got in one last training run. We're ready! It was about 95 degrees when we started but we saw 2 javelina (they can be seen in the picture, but they are good at blending in) and a beautiful sunset, so it turned out okay after all. Javelina are pretty crazy looking - they are often called wild boars or wild pigs. They can be seen around Tucson, mostly in the outlying desert areas. It is always great to do a little wildlife viewing when I am running in the great outdoors. 
God, thank you for the beautiful sunset, the amazing desert, wonderful friends, a husband who loves me, strong legs that move me and the power to walk through whatever comes my way today.
Dixie Dog is back! She has been going with me running again in the mornings, about 4.5 miles at a stretch. She has been climbing mountains in Colorado, so she is in great shape and really enjoying running with me. I sure have missed her. I have been taking her running a
long the Rillito River path with me. The wildflowers are blooming everywhere there and she really had a blast running across the soccer fields at Brandi Fenton park.
k with my running, so instead of 40 - 42 miles a week, I only did about 30. I did a shorter long run this weekend (10 miles) - I usually do about 12 or more, so it was a little break for my body. I have been tired and I think it is good to listen to your body. I'll be refreshed for the coming week of running! While out on my long run today, I ran into these beautiful white dogs. The lady actually has 5 of these kind of dogs, but she can only walk 2 at a time. I have seen her and her husband out walking all 5 before, but I guess he broke his ankle, so she has solo dog walking duty. Very pretty dogs! It was very hot today on my run - about 90 degrees. At least I thought I was pretty hot - these guys were wearing fur coats! Here I am wearing my atalanta skirt again. Love it, love it! http://www.skirtgoddess.com/ 
Another 12 miler Saturday with Lisa, Nancy, Laurie and myself. I tried out my new atalanta skirt (http://www.skirtgoddess.com/). Wonderful service from Heather. It is so silky and wonderful! The 'bumhugger' underwear are made out of a silky fabric with no tight elastic squeezing your legs! I really enjoyed my run today in it. Can't have enough running skirts, right? This one is a coolmax fabric in black, with hot pink trim on the sides. Wicks like crazy. 
ls weekend at Miraval and we got a chance to catch up with her today, which was great. Too bad we couldn't enjoy some spa services, also. It is a beautiful resort - maybe someday we'll do a 'sister' weekend out there. Check it out - http://www.miravalresort.com/ Nancy, Sue and I ran Saguaro National Monument 8 mile loop again today (a redeux of last week!), and it was pretty fun. There was a whole group out out there getting ready for the race which is only 3 weeks away! The hills are feeling easier every time with practice. I think life is like that. The more consistent I am in working towards a goal, the better I become in my career, my relationships (especially marriage and God!) and well, what isn't like that? Go out and get what you want - just chop that goal up in small pieces and before you know it, there you are!
an the Saguaro National Monument East 8 mile loop this morning. Nancy was great company and we had a fabulous time in spite of the ever constant hills, which felt easier today for some reason. We were greeted bright and early by a beautiful sunrise, followed by a rainb
ow. We were drizzled on lightly for almost the whole run, which was refreshing! The desert is such a magnificent place. What a great way to start the day. Afterwards, Nancy showed me the model home of her new house that is being built - huge and beautiful!!! 
a water to do their increasingly longer runs. Here we are, all matchy-matchy, modeling our packs. :) I ran about 11.5 miles - we ran through the Canyon Ranch area of Tucson, which is always pretty. Cloud cover the whole time - who could ask for more?
We sure have had some crazy weather lately. It is Tucson's monsoon season, so here come the heavy rains! Lots of flooding going on - just look at our backyard! This picture was taken over 3 hours after the rain stopped. The ground is just saturated. Lucky for me, the storms haven't hit in the early morning like they did last summer, so it hasn't affected my running a bit! I have been averaging about 40 miles a week for a while now, and intend to keep it up over the wint
er to get ready for marathon (and ultra) season. I usually take one or two days off a week, depending on how far my weekly long run is. My muscles feel strong and I feel very sturdy. I run in the morning in the summer, which is a great way to start the day. I get out there in time to see the sunrise, which on some days is just gorgeous. I always see lots of bunny rabbits, people walking their dog
s and occasionally, a coyote. I ran the Rillito River path yesterday and took a jog off on a side road to visit my friends, the goats. They want to go running with me, can't you tell? The ones with the really short legs crack me up. I used to want a goat as a pet. The upside is that you don't have to mow your grass as often - the downside is they eat everything, including, but not limited to, garden hoses and other vegetation. Oh well, I think I'll stick with dogs for now. 
