September!

After months of hot weather, cool air finally arrived in Fort Collins with the changing of the calendar. Perfect timing. This morning I took the Buffaloes to Riverbend Ponds for a walk and there is a chill in the air, some of the foliage is changing colors, and it smells different outside in the morning. Today we saw a golden eagle, pelicans, and some ducks.

Cool air and dirt are the things I've missed. I finally hit double digits in running miles again, I did 12 yesterday and 10 this morning. I'm tempted to go up to Estes and run to the Boulderfield tomorrow. Thought about it for today but the weather is supposed to be cold and wet. There are clouds over the mountains to the south but here in the Fort it is perfect. I'll see how tomorrow looks.

Some of the cottonwoods and other foliage are changing colors. After our walk I took the girls home and went out to Pineridge Reservoir for 10 miles. It feels so good to RUN again! I'm slow as a snail, but I know my leg turnover will improve after a few weeks.

September and October are my favorite months in Colorado. I love the cool air and crunching through the leaves when I'm running trails. And the next time I wear gloves and tights again, I'll need them to stay warm, not for trying to bake myself.

Everyone keeps asking me the same questions so I'll post a short FAQ here:

1. How are your feet? My feet are good, you can still see where the blisters were but the skin is completely healed. They don't hurt anymore.

2. Are you recovered from Badwater? Yes.

3. When is your next race? My next big race is December 30-January 1, 2009 in Litchfield Park, Arizona, the 48 hour race at Across the Years. I will be doing a long training run sometime this fall, possibly at 24 Hours of Boulder in mid-October, but I haven't signed up yet. I will be doing the Across the Years event as another fundraiser for the PVH Foundation Cancer Care Fund. Check back here at the blog for more information.