El tiempo loco

Since I was getting a little stir crazy, I decided to take a mini-vacation over the long weekend. When I left town on Friday, it was 52 degrees in Burque, 40 cooler than earlier in the week. As I went over the Glorieta Pass to northern NM and the temperature dipped into the 30s, I thought, the roads might freeze tonight! It had rained earlier in the day, and the interstate was still wet. It's been a crazy spring.



On Saturday, instead of doing my "long" run, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and scenery. So I climbed this:



I'm not sure how I made it to the top, other than putting one foot in front of the other. It kicked my ass more than any five-mile run could.

This week hasn't been too hectic. I took the big step today of filling out the paperwork for my independent license. It should all be in the mail by next week. Now I need to start studying for the exam...

I always find something to fill up my free time!

Balance

The past two weeks I've begun running regularly. My strength's come back, and I feel good. I didn't realize how much I've needed to get back into this, not only for the phyiscal benefits, but also for the mental and emotional effects. The past twelve months have been such a struggle for me. I didn't feel centered; most of the time I was stressed. I hadn't been able to run for most of that time. It wasn't until this weekend that I determined that a good part of my high stress level had to do with not running.
It helps me to relax. I'm able to let go of whatever else is going on with my life.
Although now 4 miles is the new 10 miler and I'm pretty tired by the time I finish, I'm feeling better than I have in the last year. Another benefit of running is that it gives me structure in my schedule. If I have to do a run in the evening, then I know I can't work to late.
Running gets me outside. I hate running on treadmills, so I spend more time in nature. Yesterday, I had the joy of seeing a pheasant in the bosque at the end of my run.
It feels good to be centered again.

Bliss

Rain came-twice-in the last 24 hours. I didn't have to get up early to water the garden. Today was deliciously cool. Living in the desert makes me long for cloudy, dreary days like this.

Work's slowed down. I found out I'll be going to San Francisco for a conference later this summer. This will on my agenda, too.

Tonight, on one of my training runs, I thought I made a mistake when I ran an 11 minute mile. Granted, it was just one, but my car's odometer confirmed the distance.

My friend and I have found a wonderful Cuban restaurant, where we had lunch. And I had two cafes con leche. Heaven...