• it’s bidness time – but could you crack a smile?

Today’s run was just for me. I haven’t run in 3 days (slight knee tweak from trail run on Saturday) and I was starting to feel gross. You know that feeling? It’s like the cells in your body are caked with gunk and they’re just not awake like on the days when you run.  Plus I was getting PMSy and a scratchy throat and crabby and no one likes that. So, I had a little date with myself in the hopes of getting that lovely high. 13 miles and many-a-snot-rocket later, I was singing out loud to P!nk on the Nano, clipping along at an 8:20 for my last mile.  It was dreamy.

Except I think I was invisible.

No other runners said hello to me! (Well, the older ladies in their Ewok trench coats mumbled something, but I couldn’t quite tell with the hoods and all.) Everyone was all bidness-like; head down, pointless stare. Remember that article in Runner’s World about how runners greet or not greet each other? Seriously, HELLO people!

But the animals were friendly!

And they were so not afraid of me. Another reason I think I was invisible. At one point, I looked up to see two not-very-small deer running ON the trail straight for me. They must have felt my stealth body heat cuz they veered left at the last minute. I saw mister deer on my second loop and snapped his photo.

And then there were the turkeys. Super nice. What a lovely sound these ugly creatures make. I think I heard one of them say, “You’re such a kick ass runner and your double chin isn’t nearly as unattractive as mine.” How neighborly is that?

Ok, wait, I take it all back…I forgot about Ingrid.

Ingrid is the gal who sets out water jugs with clean cups every day for runners and their dogs and keeps it all in a nice cooler at the north end of the trail. (This is doubly nice right now as the water fountains are already turned off for the season). I had the rare opportunity of seeing her pop out of her house (about 20 feet from the cooler). Yay! A friendly face! I thanked her profusely since I was so thirsty running an impromptu half marathon on Rexius. I can’t tell if she heard me though. She was all bidness checking her paper tube for the newspaper.  Or maybe it was because I was invisible.

If you haven’t seen The Flight of the Conchords Business Time – treat yourself!

So, the obvious question – do ya greet runners on the trail?

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• rmr trail run video: owls and mud and laughs, oh my!

Deb & I warming up after 6 sweet miles

8 women, 2 dogs, 6 miles, 1 gallon coffee. That’s a recipe for a great morning…and it was! Run Momma Run’s first trail run gathering was, well, dark at first. For some reason I thought sunrise was around 6:45am, so I planned the run for 7:00. Fortunately, the first mile or so of trail 5 on Mt. Pisgah is dirt and gravel, so the one head lamp we had sufficed to get us through to sunlight. While we waited on the sun, we were treated to a hooting owl that seemed to get closer and closer as we hopped rocks and splashed through a few muddy puddles – perfect for an almost Halloween morning. Once we made it out into the grassy fields on the edge of the arboretum, the sun lit up the foggy clouds and we could see our way to the east gate. We stopped to take a picture mid-way and re-introduce ourselves since we could scarcely tell who was who when we started out. 6 miles later, we were warmed up, sipping coffee and swapping plans for runs and races. Thanks for a fantastic morning, ladies. You rock!

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• sweet solo running

For all the running I do with friends, I love my solo days. For me, they come in two varieties:

1. The days I plan to run myself: These are mid-week runs in which I plan to hit the road or trails alone. I mostly look forward to these, but sometimes they are about getting mileage in and feel a bit rote.

2. The days I plan to run with others, but no one can come: These usually turn out to be really sweet, after my attitude adjustment. Here’s how it goes… I email several people to go for a run. Lots of email chatter ensues. Nobody can come. Dialogue to self turns 8 years old, “Fine! I didn’t want to run with anybody anyway. I’ll go by myself. I don’t need you guys.” Then I get it in gear and slide into acceptance. Acceptance leads to giddy excitement when I realize I can do any route, any speed, any distance and look forward to being alone with just my breath and the trail.

Here’s a quick video slideshow of a run of the number #2 variety, at my favorite place, Mt. Pisgah in Eugene, Oregon Oh, and I met some very cool people at about mile 7 of 10. Dustin, Lisa and their little buddy, Pepsi. They are ultra runners who moved here from Montana. Lisa was excited about running the SOB next year. Coming from Montana, she said, she loves hills. Wow.

Do you look forward to solo runs?

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