Steeplechase and a few days of rest

i've been bumping up the mileage the last three weeks and by the end of the week this week, i felt myself getting winded on the smallest of climbs.  after consulting a couple of friends who are well-versed in endurance running i confirmed what i myself was thinking and am going to spend the next couple of days on the couch and puttering around the house.

before my rest days i volunteered for the local Steeplechase race, hosted by my friend Butch Adams.  my friend Sue and i ran the Smuggler's Gap aid station.  Butch and i spent thursday and friday flagging the 17-mile course in the foothills above Salt Lake, and on saturday i worked one of the aid stations.  240 racers came through my backcountry aid station called "Smuggler's Gap", named after the area where an old moonshine still was built in the Prohibition Era (i'm pretty sure they supplied the soldiers at nearby Fort Douglas).  the runners were amazed at the views and what we had to offer (water, electrolyte drink, gummy fruits, and goldfish, and GU).  it's always such a good feeling to volunteer at events and see all smiles (or to be able to put a smile on someone's face!)

the views from the pass at 6am when we arrived were amazing.  i felt as if i could just reach out and grab the peaks of the Wasatch in a way, and wished i were a bird who could just fly and float above them.  Sue and i found some ramps (wild onions) on the pass and tried them--they taste like very mild garlic.

i might ride my mountain bike later this week, and then it's back to bumping up the running mileage again.  next goal after this rest week is to run 100 miles in 10 days.  i think it is a very do-able goal.