Nine Hundred Forty-One

April 30, 2019
4.03 Miles in 42:38
Mood: Not having this snow nonsense.
Soundtrack: Arctic Monkeys "AM"

The pink trees are under attack from white precipitation which belongs in winter not spring, and I can't stand it. It was stinking cold for the last day in April this morning. Especially when I have become accustomed to being able to wear shorts over the past several runs. This cold and snow is untenable, and I will not stand for it. May is coming, people, and this weather has no place in May.

I feel like every spring I have a photo of a pink tree covered in snow, it's a right of passage for April.

Nine Hundred Forty

April 28, 2019
6.00 Miles in 59:25
Mood: A tragic shortage of pink.
Soundtrack: Robert DeLong "In The Cards" and "Just Movement" and "See You In The Future"

This has been the weakest pink tree season in years. I have seen a few scraggly ones here and there, but in general we are way off pace for where we should be at the end of April. Thankfully, I saw this one, which was magnificent and big, but I used this picture which only shows a few branches because I loved the pink contrasting with the green and blue. Usually I get several weeks of pink tree posts, but I'm unsure of how many I'll get as not only has the season been weak, but it's also been really windy, so any decent pink trees may lose all their flowers before I get a chance to take a picture. Fingers crossed, as I do love them.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Nine

April 25, 2019
6.02 Miles in 1:01:50
Mood: Good clouds.
Soundtrack: Bad Veins "The Mess Remade"

These clouds were amazing. They were all lined up in nice little rows with the sun rising behind them. I also like the contrast of the vertical street lamps criss-crossing with the horizontal clouds.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Eight

April 23, 2019
5.71 Miles in 1:01:10
Mood: The Bridges of Arapahoe County
Soundtrack: The Avett Brothers "Live: Vol. Four"

I am very happy I can use this bridge again. It gives me options for getting home. It was closed for months. Good bridge.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Seven

April 21, 2019
7.02 Miles in 1:09:16
Mood: Easter doin' it's thing!
Soundtrack: Mumford & Sons "Delta" and "Tarzan Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"

It was Easter, and Easter has but one responsibility...to be bright and sunny and wonderful. Easter is not a time for snow or rain or sleet or any of the other 42 different words the Innuit have for snow. Easter is for being outside in short sleeves and thanking God for both the resurrection of his Son and the resurrection of his Sun after a miserable winter finally has been defeated by the forces of Spring.

On this particular morning in Wash Park, Easter was doing it's job. The sun was out, the weather was warm, and for the first time in many moons, I was outdoors running in shorts. I'll forgive Easter that later that afternoon it allowed clouds to move in and sprinkle a light rain upon us, because on Easter morning, the weather was actually perfect. Good job, Easter.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Six

April 19, 2019
4.57 Miles in 48:05
Mood: Appreciating lawn art.
Soundtrack: Family and Friends "Felix Culpa" and "XOXO"

I don't know what that weird hippie totem pole is, but I want one. Also, Hippie Totem Pole is a good band name.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Five

April 18, 2019
5.50 Miles in 59:48
Mood: Needless signs.
Soundtrack: The World's various noises.

This sign seemed a bit much to me. How fast does a pedestrian need to be moving to need a bright orange traffic cone 100 yards from stationary trucks? I guess a bike could come through, but even bikers should be able to navigate the treacherous parked vehicle.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Four

April 16, 2019
6.26 Miles in 1:04:28
Mood: Oh no, Lion. What did they do to you?
Soundtrack: Grouplove "Spreading Rumors" and "Big Mess"

Marble lions have been used in decorating the entrances to peoples homes for millennia. (I'm assuming this is true, as I didn't actually research this at all.) They can make your home look stately and amazing, but if you paint it black except for the eyes which you paint white with red dots for pupils, you are doing it wrong. Very, very wrong. This is bad.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Three

April 14, 2019
5.34 Miles in 54:03
Mood: Happy as a house.
Soundtrack: Vampire Weekend "This Life / Unbearably White"

Sometimes a home is a happy home because people put a lot of love and effort to make it a place where all are welcome and people are trusted and encouraged to find their way in the world together. Sometimes a home is a happy home because someone slaps eyes and a smiley face on it making it literally a happy home. I like both types of happy homes, but the first one is probably more significant, if you think about it.

Nine Hundred Thirty-Two

April 12, 2019
5.32 Miles in 56:05
Mood: The dichotomy of truck driving schmucks and very good horses.
Soundtrack: The Avett Brothers "True Sadness" and Father John Misty "I Love You, Honeybear"

After a few days of cold and rain/snow/sleet, the Highline Canal trail was in a fragile state, and some schmuck drove a truck over several miles of it leaving deep muddy grooves in the trail. I was annoyed at said schmuck, as those grooves in the trail were both unsightly and also made for slightly more difficult running. (Very slight, but my annoyance was real.)

I love this particular overlook and these four very good horses that live here. They were having a nice breakfast of whatever horses eat out of big metal tins, and I said hi to them as I stopped to take their photo. This was a lovely interaction. I give these horses five stars. These horses would never drive a truck over a muddy trail.

Nine Hundred Thirty-One

April 10, 2019
5.46 Miles in 1:00:06
Mood: Storm's a comin'
Soundtrack: Father John Misty "I Love You, Honeybear"

Yesterday was nearly 80 degrees, so naturally since I live in Colorado a blizzard was forecast for today. It wasn't supposed to move in until late morning, so I thought I'd be fine going out early this morning, but even at six the sky was totally gray and the rain was already starting to fall. I decided to hang around Southglenn in case the weather worsened severely. It didn't, but it was cool and wet all morning, so I didn't regret my decision to not wander off too far from home.

This was the first back to back days that I've run in close to a year, and my legs definitely felt a bit stiff. I was slow, but felt proud that I was able to get five and a half in despite some less than ideal conditions.

I only took two photos this morning. One was a picture of the gray sky, and it turned out pretty terribly, so I decided to use this picture of a tile wall at the Streets at Southglenn. There are lot of walls in this style at Southglenn, but they are all a little different, which is kind of cool in that they didn't just pick one pattern but when with an eclectic mix of patterns.

Nine Hundred Thirty

April 9, 2019
5.32 Miles in 57:21
Mood: Green beginning to show it's face around these parts.
Soundtrack: U2 "Songs of Experience" and "Songs of Innocence"

I took this picture, because it is proof that spring is slowly making it's way on the scene. Most of the trees on the Highline Canal are still barren, but this one has some lovely green buds. Of course, we are supposed to get hit with a snow storm tomorrow, so I hope that the buds are not budding too soon. Still, it's nice to see some green on the trail and even more nice to leave your house at 6 in the morning have the temps already be above 50.

I broke my seven mile run streak, but that was because I had a meeting at work that required me to be there earlier than normal, and I was instructed in no uncertain terms to NOT be there late, so I cut it short so that I would make it in time. I probably had another mile and a half or so in me if I had the time. I was super slow today, but I did the same technique of pushing myself to goal destinations to try and get a decent amount of mileage, and overall I'm happy with my results.

Nine Hundred Twenty-Nine

April 7, 2019
7.14 Miles in 1:13:32
Mood: Pushing myself to 7 again!
Soundtrack: Everclear "So Much For The Afterglow"

Two consecutive runs over 7 miles! Plus temps in the 60's! A gorgeous Sunday at my favorite park, and I was feeling good. Also, I took a picture of a lawn lion. Good times.

Nine Hundred Twenty-Eight

April 4, 2019
7.53 Miles in 1:19:44
Mood: Push it!
Soundtrack: Green Day "American Idiot"

I decided I was going to get a decent amount of distance on this one. I made that happen by pushing through when I was beginning to feel tired and rather than stopping to rest I would set a goal for myself. For example, I knew that there was park about a mile ahead, so I was going to keep going until I got to that park regardless of how tired I was. After that, I pushed to the next goal and kept doing so until I actually had a seven plus mile run under my belt. It wasn't fast, but it at least I finally got back to what I used to consider normal distance.

Nine Hundred Twenty-Seven

April 2nd, 2019
4.71 Miles in 49:39
Mood: Hurrah for Spring!
Soundtrack: The Walking Deadcast and Twenty One Pilots "Blurryface"

I slept poorly last night, so this run was done with not nearly enough sleep and I could feel it. I had a hard time sustaining even a mediocre pace, but at least I managed to get myself up and out so I could see the sun rise and enjoy a gorgeous Colorado morning. The results of my run were a little disappointing, but the experience was still pretty dang good. I'm so happy that Spring is starting to declare itself more boldly...I do not miss Winter.

Nine Hundred Twenty-Six

March 31, 2019
5.41 Miles in 55:04
Mood: Good dog!
Soundtrack: Mumford & Sons "Delta"

I saw this dog as I was running, and then I passed it, and I was bummed that I didn't take a picture, so as I was beginning my second lap and saw him again, I immediately asked the owners if I could take a photo, because this dog is the coolest being on earth. I love this dog and his bright blue track suit. He is a hero and a national treasure, and I'm just happy that I live on the same planet as he (or possibly she) does. This is a good dog.

Nine Hundred Twenty-Five

March 28, 2019
5.01 Miles in 52:15
Mood: Glad to have my trail back.
Soundtrack: Barenaked Ladies "Barenaked Ladies are Me" and "Barenaked Ladies are Men"

I was so excited to learn that the trail that leads directly to DeKoevend Park from my house has finally reopened. It has been closed for months and months as they were working on a bridge, and that construction has kept me from running directly onto the Highline Canal trail. I had to keep going through the Streets at Southglenn to get there, which slowed me quite a bit and made for a less productive run...that, thankfully, is over.

I was so happy that the bridge has been completed, that I took a picture of the mushroom graffiti that was adorning the underside of the bridge for today's photo. If I were Mario, I'd double in size with that thing.

Nine Hundred Twenty-Four

March 25, 2019
3.41 Miles in 36:42
Mood: Moab, meh. Arches, spectacular.
Soundtrack: Moab Street Sounds

Another state is in the books, and I love adding new states. We are now up to 14! With this run in Utah, I have now put Colorado, Kansas, Washington, South Dakota, Illinois, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisana, Mississippi, Iowa, Florida, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Utah into the blog. This run took me down the main drag in Moab as well as a smaller side street, the natural areas around Moab are transcendent, but the town itself is just okay. It wasn't awful, and I'm sure I could have found nicer places within it to run, but the part I ran was a little underwhelming. When only a few miles away you are able to see Arches National Park, it's hard for the little burgh just to the South to measure up.

It was a nice enough run, although I totally forgot my earbuds, so I had to do it without music to accompany me, which was a bummer. Also, I got up very early in the morning, so the first half of the run was done in mostly darkness, which made the town more depressing, once you can see the mountains that surround you when the light begins to show up, Moab is much prettier. The photo for this run had to be thins little cabin with an artistic rendition of a tornado engulfing it. This was easily the best bit of local art I encountered.