Well spent vacation days

This picture says it all. After a week of trail exploration, Buddy was finally TIRED. He curled up with his stuffed snail and has been sleeping the day away.

Wednesday night, we met up with Rebecca and Eby for a 4 mile loop of trail and pavement. Eby took off after something, most likely a deer, and didn't come back for awhile. We started to get worried, but she found us, panting like crazy. After drinking a ton of water and walking a bit, she got her second wind and finished the loop with us. If it's not Eby chasing the deer, it's Buddy.

Thursday morning, we did 6.2 miles on Mt. Ascension. Friday morning I had to get up early for work, so it was a 3 mile close to home day. Saturday morning, we did the 5 mile Wakina Sky loop, running most of it, the last two miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. After 8 months of being a slug, it felt good to actually run.
Since it was cool and overcast this morning, Buddy and I headed to the Ridge trail for another 6 miles. Both of us are re-adjusting to running life as evidenced by some stomach distress and then fatigue later in the day. It's sad how the body adapts to a fairly sedentary lifestyle so quickly, then struggles to keep up once it's pushed to perform again. My achilles continues to do well, as long as I stretch several times a day. Glad we can be back outside to enjoy the amazing trail system this area has to offer.

This next picture is of a strange looking mushroom nestled in amongst bunches of wildflowers. I'm kind of fascinated by fungi and where it grows. Weird, I know.

And the interest in running socks continues. Just got a pair of Drymax Lite Trail socks (on sale at Zombie Runner) and I like them much better than the original pair. Up until now, I've remained a devoted fan of the SmartWool ultra lite socks, so we'll see how these do on longer runs.

A total of 34 miles this week, not counting walks and hiking. We'll keep it there for awhile. Vacation is at an end. Back to school tomorrow!