Thirteen Hundred Twenty-Five

August 24, 2021

7.44 Miles in 1:17:37

Mood: How you not going to rotate this thing?
Soundtrack: Florence + The Machine "Between Two Lungs" and "Lungs"

I ran through Duncan Park, which is a small park a little further North than I usually run, and I found this cool bit of artwork under a tree. These colorful circles can be rotated, and now that I am home rather than there, I'm a little bummed I didn't arrange them into a more intricate pattern than this before taking the picture, but I am a fan of this interactive art in the park, even if I didn't do much with it.

Thirteen Hundred Twenty-Four

 

August 22, 2021

7.23 Miles in 1:15:01

Mood: Life is better when you see weird things in peoples' yards.
Soundtrack: Gary Jules "Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets"

As you can see from the map, I was once again bouncing all over the Wash Park neighborhoods rather than just running in the park. I mean, I ALSO ran in the park, but I spent about half the time in the streets just for the fun of it. A big chunk of that street time was to go south to get a picture of this T-Rex in someone's front yard. I saw it on my walkabout in July, and I knew it needed to make an appearance on the blog because it's a stinking T-Rex in someone's front yard! That is the kind of thing this blog was destined to chronicle!

Thirteen Hundred Twenty-Three

 

August 20, 2021

7.79 Miles in 1:22:54

Mood: I just like this open spot
Soundtrack: The Mountain Goats "Getting Into Knives"

There isn't anything all that special about this picture, but I really love this big patch of grass. It's a huge open area in Ketring Park that is surrounded in all directions by trees. It feels like a magical place to me in a way that I can't capture in a picture, but every time I'm there be it in the middle of summer or when it's covered with winter snow, it always feels special. So here is a non-special picture of a special place.

Thirteen Hundred Twenty-Two

 

August 18, 2021

7.59 Miles in 1:20:23

Mood: Good things can happen by accident
Soundtrack: Of Monsters and Men "Fever Dream"

I didn't even realize I was getting that bird in this picture. The bird in the top left portion of the frame. I was just trying to get the theater in the morning sun with some pretty flowers, but the bird is my favorite part of the photo. Sometimes you get something you don't even intend, and sometimes that can be the best part...something you don't even realize is happening. As we navigate a very tumultuous time, I'm taking some comfort in that.

Thirteen Hundred Twenty-One

 

August 16, 2021

8.20 Miles in 1:26:07

Mood: Enjoying my favorite trail in peace

Soundtrack: Florence + The Machine "Ceremonials"

I hadn't run on the Highline Canal Trail for an entire run in quite awhile, and I was really missing it, so I decided that this Monday would be the day. It wasn't a very eventful run, but the weather was perfect and I felt good the whole way, sometimes boring and unmemorable can be good. This was one of those times.

Thirteen Hundred Twenty

 

August 14, 2021

7.84 Miles in 1:24:48

Mood: Still in shock a bit
Soundtrack: Counting Crows "Recovering the Satellites"

I had a rough Friday the 13th. I was driving through Highlands Ranch, and while I was looking to see if the left lane was clear to change lanes I neglected to look to see that the light was red and as a result there was a most unfortunate and violent collision in which my car was smashed up quite extensively. On this Saturday morning less than 24 hours later, I decided to visit the scene and take a picture of where my car had been, a site that was well marked by police officers so that I could take a picture of the exact spot where my Carolla came to a stop. Those four marks were where I sat after the accident, and that line of cars waiting for the light to change is where I was driving, and that lone SUV is where the car was coming from that hit me. Whiz! Bang! Smash! It all sucks.

Fortunately, everyone is okay, and cars can be replaced. Still, it was a little surreal to visit the site where a matter of 18 hours earlier I was standing on the side of the road a bit shaken up for an hour as I waited for the traffic cops to clear the scene. Car accidents. Not a fan, do not recommend. 

Thirteen Hundred Nineteen

 

August 12, 2021

7.34 Miles in 1:19:11

Mood: Enjoying a calm morning with good light
Soundtrack: Streets at Southglenn noises

I liked how these leaves looked with the sun shining through them, then I also liked how the Southglenn buildings looked in the background. I thought this was a cool picture. This run was a bit weird because I did it without any music, as I left the house without my earbuds, and just decided to go without for the day. I definitely missed the music, but it's good to go without sometimes. 

Thirteen Hundred Eighteen

 

August 10, 2021

7.73 Miles in 1:20:18

Mood: Air so thick, you can cut it with a knife.
Soundtrack: Arcade Fire "Neon Bible"

The polluted air in Denver continues, and while it makes sunrises and sunsets kinda pretty and red, it's mostly just disturbing. It actually looked a bit better than it has as I started out on this run, but you can definitely see the effects in the picture above. The main culprit is wildfires out in California, but thanks to our unique geography nestled in the shadow of the Rockies, the smoke just settles in and makes it harder to breathe. It's pretty gross, and I hate it. I still got in a decent run, and I didn't notice the air making the run any more difficult, but here's hoping that it gets better soon.

Thirteen Hundred Seventeen

 

August 8, 2021

6.97 Miles in 1:11:16

Mood: I love these roof tiles!
Soundtrack: Oasis - "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?"

I went running at Wash Park, but I found myself diverting from the park quite a bit, as you can see from the map, I was all over the place. Those diversions led me to some new and interesting sights, including this home that has some of the coolest roof tiles I have ever seen. 

The air quality in Denver has been severely bad lately, but it didn't bother me too much on this run, thankfully. I was a bit concerned about it the night before as the air quality was simply stated as "Polluted" on the air quality index I looked at, but by the morning it was down to "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" so I figured I wasn't that sensitive and headed out. 

Thirteen Hundred Sixteen

 

August 6, 2021

4.01 Miles in 41:51

Mood: Poor run, but good healing!

Soundtrack: Waxahatchee "Saint Cloud"

This ran start with an aching knee and ended with a low blood sugar, and at no point throughout the four mile disaster did it ever feel like a real run. The good news is that it appears this run cured whatever was wrong with my knee as it felt back to normal after I finished and the soreness that I had been experiencing for a week has vanished. So despite a lackluster outing, I'll take the getting better!

It took me about three quarters of a mile to shake the stiffness in my knee, and that first stretch I must have looked ridiculous as I had quite a hitch in my giddy up. I shook the knee pain, but then very quickly started feeling a low blood sugar coming on. I tried my best to fight through, but it wasn't going to happen. I went to a convenience store and bought an ice tea, which helped, but not enough. I didn't feel like running anymore, so I called it quits after a very short four miles.

Today's photo is the finished product of the mural that was being painted while I ran back on July 21st and I think their artwork looks very nice now that it is finished!

Thirteen Hundred Fifteen

 

August 3, 2021

7.49 Miles in 1:18:33

Mood: Proceeding Slowly

Soundtrack: The Nateland Podcast

Not often a stop sign includes additional instructions. 

This run had it's issues, as I tweaked my knee last week, and it's taking it's sweet time in healing. The first quarter mile was real awkward as I tried to work out the kinks. It definitely got better, but I was definitely aware that it wasn't completely normal the whole time. I don't think I'm making it worse, but I'm definitely keeping my eye on it. I've never had knee issues before, and I'm not keen to start. 

Thirteen Hundred Fourteen

 

July 31, 2021

7.14 Miles in 1:14:31

Mood: Soggy
Soundtrack: The Nateland Podcast

Hard to tell from this picture, but at this point in the run, it was raining fairly significantly, and it only got worse in the next half hour. Halfway through this run, I was SOAKED, but I had to get my final seven miles in to get to 100 miles for July, and I literally couldn't put it off another day, so I got wet. It was actually mostly pleasant, and I dried off a little on the second half of the run. I was still wet, but it wasn't dripping by the end, so that was nice! Plus, I now have an active 24 month 100 mile streak.