2 Kinds of People

"The world is divided into two different classes of people: Distance Runners and Candy Asses."
(seen on a t-shirt in a running shop in Spokane the other day)

Love it.

Lots of good running opportunities in Spokane along the river trail. Wish I'd had my bike, too-- there's over 50 miles of paved trail that follows the river east all the way to Coeur D'Alene. Sweet!

Monday was gorgeous-- sunny and 65, lots of people out running, biking, feeding the ducks, and enjoying the lilacs, dogwoods, and other flowering wonders (they're several weeks ahead of MT in terms of spring-iness). Ran for about 45 minutes at a nice easy sight-seeing pace.

Tuesday morning was gray and cooler. I warmed up a little bit with a short jog and then a set of "Rocky Stairs," running up and down the stairs of the amphitheater for a few minutes (they're nowhere near as tall as the ones Rocky ran on, nor did I have gray sweats and a bulldog... but Eye of the Tiger was rocking on my mp3 player. Then I hit the gym at my hotel for some upper body strength training.

I sat in a conference all day, then headed out Tuesday afternoon for speed work. It was gray and drizzling, and there was hardly anyone out on the trails. My 15 minute warm-up run was a little slow and depressing, but then I hit my first interval. Two minutes. Fast. Legs pumping. Rain in my eyes. Feet splashing in puddles. "Thriller" on the playlist. Imagining myself being chased by MJ's monsters. (hey, whatever gets your legs going!) Then two minutes of a slow recovery, then go again. Passing tourists with umbrellas. I don't need no stinkin' umbrella. I'm running in the rain. Fast. Badass. Six intervals later I'd crossed the falls, looped through Gonzaga's campus, and run past million-dollar condos. A good way to see the town. I ran another 20 minutes or so through downtown, letting the acid work out of my legs, stopping to read menus in the windows of cafes that were getting ready for the evening crowd. I could see my reflection-- red-faced, rain-matted hair, big grin. Yeah, I'm a runner.

Back at the hotel, I changed, took a 10-minute power nap, then met my co-workers for a walk up-river to a local brewery for one pint, then back down the other side of the river for some excellent Mexican food. One pint of microbrew after speedwork has quite the effect!

Good times, for sure. Now I'm back to Kalispell, but in the field the next few days. Weather's supposed to be terrific. Big bike ride tonight, race on Saturday. Life is active. Life is good.