Spring has Sprung

well, it's been a pretty unimpressive snow year here in the Wasatch. i think we are looking at about 60% of our normal snowfall. we typically get around 600-700 inches for the season, and have logged about 350 inches last time i checked.

the weather has been great for running, however. i blew off spring skiing this weekend and took the dogs out on the Shoreline trail for an 8 miler on Saturday. we did a great loop from the upper Avenues , above the Shoreline to the canyon that i and a few others call "Elizabeth Smart Canyon" because it's where that crazy guy Brian David Mitchell had a local teenage girl hidden after kidnapping her several years ago. the dogs decided to chase a herd of mule deer across the hills to the east, and i was afraid for a little while that they were not going to come back. i could clearly see Artemis about a quarter of a mile away, running the wrong direction. i had this sinking feeling that i was going to be waiting for the better part of an hour for her to come back.

much to my surprise, i saw Artie's little blond head turn to acknowledge my calls. miracle of miracles, she decided to ditch the mule deer chase and come back to the person who supplies her food (me). a minute or so later, i saw Frank's cinnamon toast head poke out of the scrub oak and he came trotting back to me as well. i hugged and kissed my good fluff-balls for listening and coming back so promptly.

the day was absolutely gorgeous--50 degrees and sunshine, still a bit of snow in the higher hills, and as we headed down to the more trodden Shoreline trail again, we ran into a bunch of people. it seems many of the active Salt Lakers were taking advantage of a beautiful day. everyone was smiling. everyone was friendly. it was a great scene on the Shoreline on Saturday!

cruising the Shoreline back to the car, i ran into an old ultra-running friend, Roger Adams. he had been out the majority of last year with a knee meniscus issue, and it was so good to see his smiling face on the trail.

Sunday was another beautiful day. in the morning i got the dogs out for a short 1 mile dog walk loop on the Red Butte Shoreline trail, then went home to get some food and do some much needed spring housework. by 3pm i'd had enough, and set out for another Shoreline adventure, this time without the dogs as i didn't want to beat them up too badly two days in a row. i went for a 6 miler this time, above Red Butte and up Agony Hill to Mt VanCott. a shorter run, but a grinder of a climb. the views from above were beautiful. the camera just does not do justice to how beautiful the springtime views are right now.

well, my foot is aching a little from a lingering "-itis" issue of some sort that started last May. it doesn't seem to get much worse with the running, and always settles down after a day or two of rest, so i'm going to just keep running. i have a joke with myself that i'm having an on-going disagreement with my peroneus brevis (a ligament on the outer foot and ankle) and sometimes peroneus longus likes to chime in with its two cents worth (ligament that runs under the arch of the foot from the same origin as the brevis). i just tell the two of them to shut up and i keep running.

in all seriousness, i do need to start doing some physical therapy to get my foot back into shape and will start doing some thera-band exercises. i will probably try to get my ankle taped later this week, and consider going back to acupuncture in a couple of weeks. i'm not planning on letting this hold me back, as i have the Zion Traverse planned with my friend Jenn from Sun Valley on May 1st! (48 miles and 10,000 vertical gain from Lee's Pass on the northwest corner of the park to the East Entrance) and Pocatello 50 mile is on May 29th. so excited for Spring. it has definitely Sprung in a big way!