Yesterday we had a dramatic afternoon thunderstorm. I loved watching the clouds build up and roll in over the mountains. Intense afternoon storms are part of summertime living in the mountains, and remind me of how lucky I am to be here. Poor Klemmy had a different opinion of the storm: at the first hint of a rumble, she booked it in to the closet and would not come out for hours. Poor girl! Elvis the cat and Keiki weren't stressed at all about the thunder; it was just little Klem that was inconsolable. Speaking of scary things: today I set foot on a track for the first time since the year 2001. I have been running solely on dirt trails this year. I love the trails, but sometimes I think that it is not helping me get my speed back. Half the time I am navigating over rocks, and trying to keep my footing up and down steep sandy pitches. My workout was slow compared to when I was last on a track seven years ago. Our track is at around 6000 feet here, but regardless, I have some work to do. But it was fun to challenge myself in a new (or really old!) way. Hopefully running on a flat, fast surface now and then will help me get some of my speed back. But I will still do most of my runs on the trails in the forest: running in the mountains is what makes me really happy and makes me feel at peace with the world.
