What goes up...

...gets to come down!

As much as I'd like to be a good uphill runner, I'm just too stinkin' lazy. Today, I wanted to get up high to explore some new trail. In order to do that, I had to go up, up, up. My ankle has been doing great as long as I warm up well. That was my excuse for hiking the entire way!

The day was spent on Mt. Helena and the Ridge Trail. The wildflowers and weeds are in full bloom so it was colorfully beautiful. Nice to see so many families out enjoying the day together. Of course, I was a bit jealous because Steve had to work the entire weekend. I got in almost 11 miles, all but the first mile running with some very fun downhill moments. I'd been watching these clouds building up all morning, and finally figured I'd better head back to the car. Just in time - soon after it started to pour!

A few thoughts on what I'm calling Saturday's "misadventure." We should have made sure to stay together as a group. We also should have had a back up plan and meeting point if the group accidentally split up. You'd think "accidentally splitting up" would be hard to do, but we found out otherwise. Another should have? Exchange phone numbers BEFORE someone goes missing, so we'd have an idea of who/where to call.

The good things? I'm very happy to have brought the Nathan pack. It carries so many extras and I never notice the weight. It's perfect for the "not sure how long I'll be out there" kind of days. Long ago, I got rid of the Nathan bladder due to its constant leaking. Now, I've got a 50 oz. and 70 oz. Camelbak that fit perfectly. Luckily, I had brought the 70 oz. because people did run out of water.

Don't forget the gaiters. My heel is a mess from all the dirt.

Loving the saltstick caps. It was fairly warm, around 80 degrees in the afternoon. I took one per hour with no cramping or stomach problems.

Last, very wise decision on my part to go back to the good ol' Asics. I've been using the 2100 series for road shoes and went through a couple pair of the 2120 trail version. Last week, while in Missoula, I tried on every pair of trail shoe at The Runner's Edge. Finally, I just went with what has worked in the past and got the 2140 trail. Much more stable than the Cascadia, lots of cushion, the shoelaces actually STAY TIED, and the tongue doesn't move around all over the place. Best of all, I've had no residual ankle pain. In the past week, I've put 58 hiking and/or running miles on them with no problems. Yay!

Hope you all enjoyed the weekend. Happy Memorial Day!