wax on, wax off (x3)

My medium/short weekend run has been the loop from Mt Tabor to downtown, over Hawthorne, back over the Steel bridge and then back up the hill to home for 8 miles. My short/short is up Mt Tabor for a quick 5’er.

Unbelievably, I changed my medium/short run this morning in an attempt to do more anaerobic threshold training. I ran the Tabor 5’er, but went back up Tabor twice more 🙂 for a total of 3 climbs. Mileage came in just over 9, still making it a medium/short run.

It seemed like there were a lot of people running this morning, I was thinking maybe the Fall marathon people are starting to do weekend group runs.

“Fall 7 times, get up 8 times”
– someone’s Kanji tattoo (somewhere)

I was thinking a lot about being a beginner and having beginner’s mind this morning. I passed a lady near the top of my 2nd loop nearing the top of Mt. Tabor and I gave her a, “good job.” During Mt. Hood 50 miler (the course consisted of 2 big loops) – on the first loop everyone was giving and getting “lookin’ good”, “good job”. The second loop – after everyone had been running for 35 miles… nada. Maybe eye contact and a grunt. The difference was stark. And very funny.

I’m not sure if she was thinking <–STFU–> or maybe it gave her a little bump nearing the top of a long climb. The thing that no one every stresses though – is that when people start out doing *anything* no one knows what they’re doing. And everyone is a beginner. Like the Karate Kid.

http://www.strava.com/activities/171244917 Mile 6 was a ton o’ fun – I pulled off my shirt and ran like a [mountain goat?] down the backside of the mountain (it’s really a hill)… but I learned that 3 loops are good for 1K vertical, so I’ll take it.