Poppa still runnin'....simply decided awhile back that I could not keep up with all the run 'chatter'!

50k coming early next month...another in September. Several 15k's done and in the books this Spring. Trails, of course! Training for a Summit climb of Mt. Rainier in August in conjunction with my 50's a' comin'...From my Training blog this last Sunday

erhaps I wouldn't have been surprised to wake with the rain...had I the notion that it was coming!Awoke with a Sunday morning smile...!Frittered my happy, early morning solitude away...with coffee & daydreams - then late morn in domestic discourse......before escaping in my Trail shoes for my Sunday communion...!

Much ponder goes into 'shaping'...or 'visualizing' the Sunday run. 'Tis either the wonderful capstone to a week of runs...or the weekly cornerstone guide to the runs a comin'...! Kinda serves dual purposes, I guess...I just know that it feels IMPORTANT!

Decided upon the Amphitheater today. Wanted to incorporate some stairs...had a great run there yesterday...the trail is wide and green and under a verrry nice canopy. Didn't wish the 'wide open spaces' of Prophetstown or the Cross-country course today, for whatever reasons.I dunno...

Wanted to be 'enclosed' in the rain...Filled up my Camelbak for a long one...then threw a 5lb'er in the back pocket for some extra motivation...and off I went!Beautiful day...grrrreat run!!Coupla highlights:Never again will I lay down my stick! Sheesh...Runnin' stairs...stick propped up top...along the railing on the far side. Just a hair too long to 'swing' comfortably up and down the narrow stairs...with the seats and seatbacks so close in.Down the adjoining slope, then......come 2 big, dumb, damn dogs! Whattaya think they think...when they spy a nearly nekkid man.......with no anti-damndumbdog stick? I'm thinking they think steak....or maybe, you know....sport!####ers!

Well-placed kick (Sokuto geri...for you karate afficionados!) to the snout sends the more stoopid of the two somersaulting back down the concrete stairs. (What kinda dumb animal attacks uphill?? So maybe...in hindsight...he wanted to play.)

Homie don't play wit dogs...Sue me!The other of the two does a quick 180...having suddenly decided that it's human 'master''s voice might indeed be worth listening to!"COME HERE SPARKY!!"...."NOOOO SPARKY!!" "SPARRRKY!!"EFF U Sparky's human...With stick again in hand - it took only a moment - The nearly-nekkid-fella-runnin'-in-the-rain's three dummy interlopers headed off into the woods.I went the other way...and we did not again meet!Today's totals?2 hours 10 minutes...sometimes raining, sometimes not...sometimes absolutely flooding!50 trips up and down the 45 stairs of the outdoor seating area....broken into 5 sets. In other words....I came upon the stairs after 10 minutes or so...decided then that this is the way she'll go!10 sets of stairs...head off into the woods for a 30 minute loop...returning to 10 more sets of stairs...head back on a reverse loop under the wet canopy...coming back for 10 more sets, etc.....FUN!! Last couple trail loops increasingly wet and muddy, but.......:happyshrug:I was strong...comfortable. Alone, but not. Happily daydreaming...So-------------->I'm in my own world...ever-vigilant for danger....or...cool stuff....lopin' along on the last of my loops on the river bottomland...when I spy the same new blue Toyota that I'd first noted 30 minutes earlier- as it pulled around the back of the Amphitheater on the gravel road along the ridgeline...whilst I was on one of my stairs sets. It pulled to the end of the road, then...and so turned around and left. Perhaps simply out for a Sunday drive...Ummmmmm....apparently NOT!!

'Cause there she was again...down on the bottomland...at the end of the service road...bisecting MY trail!! Hmmmm....I slow...to a slower lope. Start looking for dogs...Note nobody in the front seat any longer.....Note power still on (lights)....Note the rainy day foggy windows...Hmmmmm.....Another quick look about the horizon...looking for movement. Nothing...no sounds...no movement...only pouring rain.No movement, I now realize - except the very gently rocking Toyota and the bumpin' backseat lovers...Stolen Sunday Toyota backseat lovin'...all alone in the pouring rain of the river bottomland woods. All alone, that is...except for me!Verrrrry romantic........!Welllll, except for the 'me' part.I rapped on the back window with my stick.Kidding...!I simply smiled...and waved...and respectfully moved along.

I must admit now, however, to a certain level of 'Enquirer'ing' curiosity...!What's the story here folks...??? Who were you?? Why the heck in the woods?Why not, I guess...!Could easily conjure up all kinda interesting scenarios, eh...?Run was good! Fun...verrrrry fun!Back to work...mornings...tomorrow.Jeez, I like days off!
