moving

After the epic Tahoe adventure, I went back to Washington both to attend my dad’s family reunion and collect my things to move to Mesquite permanently. While I was there, I wanted to experience running the trails in the forests I’d known for so long. At least one last time. After living in Washington for 52 years, I was finally cutting the cord and moving south.

Although I was tired, coming off Tahoe and dealing with the stress of facing the spouse I was separating from, selling my home, and packing a U-Haul, I still managed to get out and run the trails that ran through our neighborhood. There is a very nice trail system there with gently rolling hills and a smooth and soft bark surface. It was a little difficult to gauge the distance without a GPS watch. I used Map My Run and think I got pretty close.

I mapped out a 5 mile loop and set out. It was one of those cool, overcast August mornings. Perfect for running. The air in the northwest has just the right amount of humidity and the temps are moderate most all year around. Over the next couple weeks, each run got faster and I ended with a run that put my average minutes per mile in the 9’s!  I finally broke the 10 minute barrier on a decent run. That’s pretty awesome.

I also signed up for a trail race there. Seattle actually has quite a running community and an active trail running community as well. The race was part of a 4-race series and this was the third. It was billed as a 13-miler but the race director said it’s more like 14. The race was Saturday, August 11th – about two weeks after Tahoe. The course was all single-track and crowded for quite some time. I think my energy finally ran out. Though I really enjoyed the race and the course, I just wasn’t fast. I hardly walked at all but still finished at the back of the pack.  No shirt, no medal, no pictures, just the experience.

With that behind me, we pulled the U-haul down the highway and past the homes, forests, and mountains I’d known for so long. Ready to start my new life.