One Thousand Nine

September 29, 2019
8.25 Miles in 1:18:38
Mood: Magic and meaningless competition.
Soundtrack: Hootie & The Blowfish "Fairweather Johnson"

There was an ethereal look to Wash Park when I arrived Sunday morning. The sun was just barely coming up, and there was a lot of fog, and it just looked magical, as if an elf might traipse past or some magical creature might grant me a wish if only I could find it. By the time I finished, the sun had burned off all the magic, and it was a normal looking day in a beautiful park...which is good too, but I like arriving when the magic is out.

I felt pretty strong on this run, and my last third of a mile might have been the fastest I ran all day. This is not because I found some inner strength at the end of the day, but because I was passed by a woman in her early thirties near the end who was moving quickly, and I just decided to catch and pass her. Nothing like a little competition to get me moving fast. I went about as hard as I could around the final turn, passed her about as rapidly as she had passed me about three minutes prior, and then I sprinted back to my car. When I made it all the way back, I was huffing and puffing mightily, I had managed to finish up 8.25 miles, and I felt awesome.

One Thousand Eight

September 27, 2019
7.11 Miles in 1:12:02
Mood: Cool skeleton.
Soundtrack: Twenty One Pilots "Blurryface"

I know that Halloween is coming, but it's pretty weird to put a skeleton under a tree and then have ZERO other decorations. Hopefully this is just the first phase of something more Halloween-y, or else it's just kind of creepy. We are in the outer limits of how early it's appropriate to decorate for Halloween, too. It's over a month a way!

One Thousand Seven

September 26, 2019
7.11 Miles in 1:10:28
Mood: A tale of two runs.
Soundtrack: The Shins "Chutes Too Narrow"

This was a weird run. The first half was slow and laborious. I was circling The Streets at Southglenn, as I do regularly, to load up on Pokemon supplies via the mall's large collection of Pokestops. I was slow and figured that at most I was only going to get in five miles today. Then I finished up and headed towards DeKoevend Park, and as soon as I got there, it was like a fire was lit under me. Suddenly I was cruising and feeling great, and my final four miles felt amazing. Usually I get more tired as I go along, it's very odd to gain strength.

Also, I'm beginning to think that the sidewalk chalk installations are a permanent feature of the mall. It's now been four days and there has been very little degradation. This is some pretty resilient chalk. Today's photo comes from another of my favorites. I saw the artist as he was creating it, and he was working from a photograph, and I think he did an amazing job recreating it.

One Thousand Six

September 24, 2019
7.50 Miles in 1:14:54
Mood: Hey! Art!
Soundtrack: First Aid Kit "Stay Gold" and "The Lion's Roar"

There was a sidewalk chalk art festival at the Streets at Southglenn this weekend, and on Tuesday morning the artwork was still mostly intact. I spent a good portion of 20 minutes jogging from site to site taking pictures and admiring the skill level of the artists. Then I went super hard on the Highline Canal trail, and felt good while pushing myself up until the final mile and a half when I was hit by a mild low blood sugar and had to reign it in quite a bit. Still, it was a varied and interesting morning made possible by my two feet!

One Thousand Five

September 22, 2019
8.33 Miles in 1:20:38
Mood: What a good boy!
Soundtrack: Jack White "Blunderbuss" and "Lazaretto"

I arrived at Wash Park, as I do on most Sundays, and I decided that I needed to see more than just Wash Park on this particular Sunday, so I started north through the park, and then just kept going until I hit Cheesman Park. Then I turned around and headed back. I wasn't sure why I needed to go a different way, but I think it was because I needed to meet this very good dog. This dog was cute and fuzzy and extremely friendly, and I very much wanted to take him home with me. I didn't since, you know, he's not my dog. (Also, it could be a girl dog. I didn't check. Either way, excellent dog.)

One Thousand Four

September 20, 2019
7.18 Miles in 1:11:16
Mood: Watching the summer die in real time.
Soundtrack: Band of Horses "Cease to Begin"

The rate at which days are getting shorter is dizzying right now. It was legitimately dark outside when I began this morning, when it feels like only a week ago it would have been shockingly bright. Darkness is coming, and so is the cold weather, so I'm gathering my roses while I may in this, the best month of the year. I wish it could always be September.

Today's photo comes as the sun was finally rising above the horizon for the first time, and I had already been out for almost 20 minutes. The colors that I was trying to get a picture of in this photo were ASTOUNDING to the eye, but less cool in a photo. That tree that is mostly in shadow but just a little part of it is lit up is so red right now. It's amazing to look at, especially when it gets lit up by the sun. Soon everything is going to be changing colors. I guess technically, this was my last run of the summer.

One Thousand Three

September 17, 2019

7.11 Miles in 1:12:10

Mood: Amused by other people.
Soundtrack: U2 "No Line on the Horizon"

It was a cloudy and wonderful Tuesday morning, and I felt great running along the Highline Canal. I was just a little past halfway on my run, and returning from the direction I came when I almost just ran past this sign. Then my brain processed that something on that sign said, "Pathetic Loser" so I stopped and went back to see just what was going on.

I found this sign, more than a bit worse for the wear due to rains, posted on a metal pole on the edge of where a private garden meets a very public trail. The garden was in the back yard of a giant home in Greenwood Village, and I would estimate the value of this particular home to be several million dollars. Yet, even with all their money, they had contacted the police to report the theft of a singular flower. 

I'm not defending the perpetrator here, no one should take flowers that don't belong to them. But still...Overreacting much? I guess you're trying to put the fear of God into this flower thief, but really what it does is make you look mean and petty. Also, it made me laugh quite a bit to myself. I just couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor person taking the call at the Greenwood Village police about the theft of a singular flower and having to write up a report about it including pictures.

One Thousand Two

September 15, 2019
7.49 Miles in 1:13:01
Mood: Slightly sad, but not overly so.
Soundtrack: The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

I was a little bummed as a I started out this run, as there was a chance I was going to get to run with my brother. However, he was out late on Saturday night and had a huge Sunday ahead of him that would actually keep him up until 2:30 on Monday morning, so he rightfully decided to get a little extra sleep while he could. So I headed out alone, which is normal and not usually a bummer, but was a slight bummer just because I had gotten my hopes up that I'd get to partake in one of those oh so rare brotherly runs.

What followed was a very pleasant and enjoyable seven and a half miles at Wash Park, so it worked out fine.

One Thousand One

September 13, 2019
4.31 Miles in 47:04
Mood: Unfocused
Soundtrack: The Beatles "Abbey Road"

My heart wasn't fully in this one from the get go. I kept checking my phone and then wandering aimlessly instead of running. I was still tired from a long week and a hard run yesterday, so my energy level was low and I just wasn't into it. The result was a meandering and slow four plus miles. It was still a fine morning, and I'm glad I went and put in those four miles, but safe to say my focus was not there on this one.

One Thousand

September 12, 2019
7.55 Miles in 1:17:12
Mood: Dragons and Chill.
Soundtrack: The Mountain Goats "All Eternals Deck"

This was an epic moment in the history of this blog, if not necessarily all that significantly interesting of a run. ONE THOUSAND POSTS! I had to find something significant to photograph to match this landmark moment. Didn't think I'd find anything cool...and then I found a dragon! Dragons are pretty cool.

In addition to being the ONE THOUSANDTH POST, this run also signaled the first major sign that the days of running in shorts will soon be coming to an end. It was 46 degrees outside when I left the house, and the first 15 minutes or so felt legitimately cold. Shorts season isn't over yet, but it's days are dwindling to be sure.

Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine

September 10, 2019
7.11 Miles in 1:12:46
Mood: Enjoying the best month.
Soundtrack: The Head and The Heart "Living Mirage" and Lupe Fiasco "Lupe Fiasco's The Cool"

September remains the best month of the year. The heat of summer is dying away, but it isn't cold yet. Every morning is like a perfect running morning, and the weather is almost always perfect. Man, I love September.

Nine Hundred Ninety-Eight

September 8, 2019
7.29 Miles in 1:10:24
Mood: Go Broncos!
Soundtrack: Ben Folds Five "Whatever and Ever Amen"

In my last run prior to the Broncos opening their season against the Raiders, I thought I'd find something that is vaguely orange and blue to post. I don't have huge expectations for the Broncos this year, but that doesn't mean I'm not cheering for them!

Nine Hundred Ninety-Seven

September 6, 2019
7.20 Miles in 1:14:05
Mood: Look! A Yeti!
Soundtrack: The Avett Brothers "Live, Vol. 2" and "A Carolina Jubilee" and "Emotionalism"

Hey! I spotted a Yeti on this run!

Nine Hundred Ninety-Six

September 4, 2019
7.45 Miles in 1:16:58
Mood: Lovin' the clouds.
Soundtrack: Everclear "So Much For The Afterglow"

Ever since September started, the clouds have been routinely awesome and beautiful. Every day we are treated to glorious puffs in the sky. This photo isn't even all that great of an example, but it did happen during the time of morning where everything turns pink. Not sure what any of this means other than this wasn't a very exciting run to write about.

Nine Hundred Ninety-Five

September 2, 2019
7.32 Miles in 1:09:48
Mood: Did it rain buckets and I just missed it?
Soundtrack: Panic! at the Disco "Death of a Bachelor"

Wash Park looked like it had been flooded. There were puddles everywhere, tons of mud on the gravel running track that surrounds the park, and most interestingly giant mushrooms. I posted this picture with my foot in it to give some scale to just how big these fungi were. It was incredible. The strangest thing was that I had no recollection of any major storms happening in the previous days, and yet just seven miles to my north, it looked like "Noah 2: Electric Boogaloo" had been filming. Not sure where all this water came from, but it sure was good for the mushroom growth.