Ascent is life: So Far

     You can pretty much tell that if a runner has a blog, and they have not posted for a while, they are injured. That would be me. That and my computer died. Oh yeah, I am also lazy and an incredibly slow typist. By now I'm guessing that my mom is the only one who still reads this as I post so infrequently and the content is garble to anyone who is not obsessive about running in the mountains. However, I like to rant, and occasionally I do it in print, so here is my 2013 so far.
     By the numbers things are pretty bleak. Four days of ice climbing, zero days of backcountry skiing, and about fifteen miles for my longest run. I have been battling a sore right hamstring, right foot, left ankle, and left shoulder. I call it "Blues Mobile Syndrome." Remember how in the movie The Blues Brothers, the old cop car they have performs amazing feats, and then completely falls apart while at a standstill once the "mission from God" is at completion? If you have not memorized the entire film I recommend watching it every day for at least a week as it is a cinematic masterpiece. Anyway, I think that is what happened to my body. I had a string of luck that went from April through July, and a few more flashes in September to November. I only missed one day of running from January 1 through November 5. I spent day after amazing day reveling in the pure animal bliss of moving over earth. I completed my dream race, and it was everything I ever wanted. It was like a hidden world had slowly revealed itself to me. I couldn't live there, but I was able to visit almost every day. Then the wheels came off. I didn't run for a month, and when I started back things were not the same.
   I know that someday mountain running will not be the focus of my life. That's cool. I'm just not ready yet. I've gotten really interested in Nordic skiing this winter. There is so much technique and history to the sport that I have a lot to learn. It is a great diversion. However, when I look at the computer while drinking my morning coffee the first places I go are http://www.irunfar.com/ and http://www.runningtimes.com/running-times. My heart is still immersed in running and I can't wait to be back. And I'm getting closer.
   Yesterday I ran my first ever snowshoe race. Only 10k, but it felt great to stride it out and and go for it. Last Tuesday I ran on an actual trail, and in my mind I was like Kilian Jornet flying dynamically across the rocks.(I really don't care to know what it actually looked like.) Things still aren't smooth. I curse, and I go slow, and I go home before I'm really satiated. I really want something close to what I had before. I know it can never be the same. I've chased my tail around in circles before trying to recreate transcendent experiences. It will have to be different. I still believe it can happen through running though. I just signed up for a race in April and another in May. I have to believe things will come around.
     In the meantime I'll make due with some limitations. I think I'll come back tougher, faster, and smarter. Well, o.k., maybe just tougher.
     Enough bitching. Here are some random thoughts and links for a small glimpse of my world:
I was jogging down the road with the dogs the other morning and a jeep drove by with what was obviously a large dead cat strapped to the roof. I don't mean kitty cat, I mean wildcat. I knew it was either a Bobcat or a Lynx from my brief glimpse. I was furious. If it was a Lynx, that is a serious crime. If it was a Bobcat...well, I didn't know. I ran home as fast as I could dropped off the dogs and grabbed my camera and phone. Our road is a dead end, so I knew he would have to be down the road. Sure enough I came to a house less than a mile further where the jeep was parked out front. No cat, so I noted the location and ran back home. It ate at me for the rest of the day. I googled images and concluded it was a Bobcat. I checked the Dept. of Wildlife website, and sure as shit it is Bobcat season through the end of February. First off I'm pissed that it is even legal to kill an apex predator that is nowhere near overpopulated, but beyond that what kind of narcissistic asshole would want to? They aren't dangerous. It's like an overgrown house cat. He'll probably just stuff it and hang it on his wall. I try to understand different perspectives, but I'll never understand trophy hunting. I hope he gets mauled by a mountain lion. Not to death, but it should leave some good scars.
     So you think your pets are special? I know I do, but in the talent department Nana and Kaiser are something else. MK watched some of there videos and proclaimed, "All these people do is train their animals and clean their house!" Well, however they do it, it is entertaining.
   Then there is this race report from the H.U.R.T. one hundred that made my injury woes seem trivial, and gave me hope that I can come back better than ever. Thanks Gary!
     Some photos: