Well, I got up early on Saturday and ran before the funeral. I guess I was just too excited to run someplace warm. And the weather was absolutely perfect. I ran 14.5 miles, which I wasn't sure I could do given the altitude. But that proved to be a phantom fear. As I ran on South Scenic Drive and turned around at Ocotillo, I was above the city and all the lights. It was so peaceful and quiet. When the sun came up across the Tularosa Basin, shining orange on the Organ Mountains, I remembered why I love the desert scenery so much.
I ran past three of the houses I lived in when I was younger (Catalina, Desert Eve, and Harvard for Jeremy, who wouldn't remember the first two of those). My route took me all the way down Tenth Street, past Grace Methodist Church where we used to attend Christmas Eve candlelight services with my grandparents, and by Sierra Elementary, where the playgrounds look a lot smaller than I remember.
As I reached the top of Indian Wells I was about out of gas. What a long, steep run that is. As I came back south on Scenic I had a couple of calf cramps. I was plenty hydrated and couldn't figure out why. Later on I realized it was probably due to sitting in a car for 13 hours the day before. Huh. They still feel tight today, but that's only because I added another 15 hours of car time yesterday.
Wish the visit to NM could have been for something more fun, but at least the run down memory lane was enjoyable. Well, that and enchiladas at Margo's.
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