Day off

Whoohoo!! Day off! Nothing on the schedule but kicking back. Its a rainy Saturday so the timing couldn't be better.

On the other hand, I just watched a cadre of the "Huffers and Puffers" run by in the rain and felt a pang of guilt for not being out on the trail.

There's a bit of primordial fun trail running in nasty conditions. One of my favorite runs happened last year during a blustery spring storm. The winds were howling, rain came down in sheets, and the trail was 7 miles of mud and puddles. The trail ascended from the staging area to a rolling ridge line and as I topped out I couldn't help give a "WHOOP" of joy. I felt really alive and connected to the energy of the winds, the waving trees, the sounds of rain on path, and the bright green carpet of spring grass that swirled with every powerful gust. I alone was enjoying it--not another soul (thus confirming my madness) crossed my path. That is, until a Red Tail Hawk soared past me at nearly eye-level, swooping and twisting through the trees and riding the wind like a snow-boarder in a half-pipe. I swear that hawk was enjoying the ride and the show as much as I.