14 Miles

I ran 14 miles this morning.

I ran the first 7 by myself.

I ran the next 7 with Morgan the Malamute, aka Morg-Morg aka The Morginator aka Mal-Mal aka Morg aka Buddy-Let's-Go aka Big Man. 7 for him set his personal record. And he bravely ran with me with his thick coat of fur and the temperatures that rose with the morning sun. 75 by the time we finished.

Our route was the Fairfield Loop Trail.  It circles Fairfield where we live, Dawn and I and Morgan. All involved in bringing this gem to our community should take a bow every morning now. Well-done. Decorative posts mark each 1/4 mile, each of them sponsored by a local family or business. The trail is well-maintained with pea gravel surface and fences to separate the property on one side and in some places Highway 34's By-Pass. There's always wildlife - deer, fox, turkeys, hawks, field mice (Morgan's favorite snack), a few snakes, coyotes are close by judging by what they leave behind and what you can hear at night.

My total time was 2:24. A little bit longer, by 4 minutes, than what I wanted. But, hey, I ran 7 miles of hills on Wednesday and 16 miles of a slow easy jog on Sunday. For this old bald guy, that totals 37 miles. And Sunday...yes, Sunday I'll run 17 - 18. Run is a generous appraisal, It's an easy shuffle mixed with regular periods of walking. Heart rate stays around 110-115.

I'm gearing up for the inaugural Fairfield Loop Run. It's one loop, 15.9 miles. June 9. Come on down.

My goal for that race is 2:40. Seems doable. I'll ease back on the miles in the week before. That should give the legs some bounce. Every race includes a dose of personal adrenaline for each runner, so that'll help. But...every race is a surprise. We'll see.

* Morgan's picture always makes me laugh. It's also misleading. He's 32 inches high at the shoulder, 39 inches long shoulder to butt, weighs 118 pounds as of 3 weeks ago. And he's 14 months old. Yessir...that's what I say when he sits at his food bowl and looks up at me expectantly.