Training Log Archive: Swampfox

Mapped a few trees and a piece of rock, and then went running, wondering the whole time where the smoke was coming from. Usually it's easy to tell or find out, but not this time. Best guess is whatever fire it is somewhere in NW Colorado.

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First day all year we've had some smoke in the air, which reminds of all the good times of smoke hazed days last summer and fall. The direction of thickisity (that's a word, right?) seemed to be in the SW, and there wasn't a hint of anything yesterday--which was a totally beautiful day in all respects. That suggests some new fire started up, but there's nothing about any such thing in the news. Maybe it was just drones over by Steamboat kicking up dust or something.

Mapped anyway, and then did intervals and attempted to get as much of the smoky air into my lungs as possible. It wasn't really so bad, and mostly just having a whole different color to the air, with all the shadow areas so blue.

While mapping, I came across one extremely detailed and rocky area. I wasn't sure what to do. So I did what we were taught to do in Advanced Mapping School, which was to close your eyes, and draw as many boulder triangles as you can while slowly counting to 17, and then that would usually be good enough.

While running, spotted what must be the Donald Trump of the local moose--a very big bull moose, with very little antlers. Really, its ears were almost as large as the antlers.

Ran intervals on trails in strong winds that were sometimes swirling my way and sometimes not. Definitely fall. Would not have surprised me to have seen some snowflakes in the air while I was running, but the occasional sprinkles that hit me were all raindrops--this time.

A little more mapping out at the meadows before sprinkles shut that down, and I switched over to running. As it worked out, I could have kept on mapping, but there were so many clouds around with visible rain and accompanying thunder there was no way to know how it was going to go in my particular location.

O' at Remarkable Flats, 11.5 kms (or so), sunny with temps in the 60s and a pleasant breeze which almost made up for the lack of any cattle. Legs felt light.

This isn't where I was running today, but it is where I am mapping (all the sagebrush in this photo is the harmless Big Sagebrush variety, not that I worry about sage):