Aunt Jackie is a Boy! and Facing My Fears

You know those weeks when it's Monday morning and you're so tired that you stop and buy a Dr. Pepper on your way to work. Yea, I would never partake in such an unhealthy behavior either. (Cough, cough.) And then you blink and suddenly it's Sunday morning and you don't know where your week went? Yea, I had one of those week - which resulted in some pretty sissy running for the week. That and the fact that my bed was much warmer at 5:00am than going out running.

I ran a 3, 4, and 8 miler. The 3 miles was with my son Jackson and our poodle Aunt Jackie. (Aunt Jackie isn't actually an aunt because, well, Aunt Jackie is actually a boy.)

We ran in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. This is the first trail run where Jackson has joined me for years. It was beyond awesome to see him heading down the trail. His conclusion: "Running on a trail is WAY harder than running on a road!"

It's only appropriate to celebrate such a great time by taking a jumping picture.

The 8 miler was with my friend Will. He knows this area well and served as a great tour guide.

We ran the length of the Gila Trail which was lots and lots and lots of sand mixed in with some cool sections of slick rock.

The weather was PERFECT. Warm enough that we weren't freezing, but not hot enough to feel like we were hot dogs that have been cooking on the little rollers at 7-11 for five days.

I was so thankful for those little sections of rock to run on because the sand was nearly relentless.

Will knew the location of some secret petroglyphs in the area. I honestly don't know how he found them because all I could see for miles in the distance was a sea of sand and red rock.

 

I'm scared of heights. And that fear of heights was tested a little bit as we maneuvered down into some slot canyons. (Internal dialogue may have involved something like "Cory, get your act together! Sitting down on the side of the trail crying in front of your friend IS NOT an option!" This was our view.....looking up:

Game plan for the new week: run more.

A few last things to mention:
1) I'll be doing a presentation at St. George Running Center on Thursday night at 7:15pm about trail and ultra running. Prizes from UltrAspire, Tailwind Nutrition, and a giveaway for a free race entry to the most fun race of the year.

2) That most fun race of the year is The Baker's Dozen Half Marathon on December 14th. I'm the race director and we have just confirmed that Oprah will be running the race with Dr. Phil. Going to be epic! Thursday is the last day to sign up before late registration. Check out the race website HERE or the Facebook page HERE. Enormous bling provided. See you there!