3 Days Away

I am writing this 3 days away from the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon (BCHM). I am not really nervous this time around. I feel like I have prepared myself fairly well. I did go on a 5 mile run this morning and learned a few things.

1) There are absolutely no advantages to waking up before the sun. One of the myriad of advantages in waking up before the sun is getting to see the sunrise. That actually is why I enjoy running in the dark for a few minutes: the sunrises in Vegas are usually pretty good. Here is the sunrise I was able to capture on my new Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone (Samsung, are you reading this? Can I get an endorsement deal? What?! What do you mean you don't give endorsement deals to mediocre bloggers who have, on average, 1.2 page views per day? Come on!)

2) Vegas rainstorms are awesome. Well, let me back up. I really enjoy when it rains in Vegas during the summer. It is loud and intense. This past week we have had a couple pretty good rainstorms. There are a couple disadvantages, though, that over-shadow the fun of the rainstorm (at least for me). First, it is really humid the next day (don't laugh if you are reading this in the southern or eastern states. Yes, I know, it is really humid there. I lived in Mississippi for two years. I know what REAL humidity feels like. But this was humid for Vegas). I felt like I had run through a car wash, and I was only a mile into my run. Needless to say, I ran very slow this morning. I am saying I ran slow because of my race on Saturday, but, really, it was because it was hot and humid. The second disadvantage is the flash floods. This picture shows my regular jogging path. This is also what the majority of the streets in my neighborhood looked like this morning (they were even worse yesterday morning).

You can kind of see where my path was. This also was taken with my new Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone (anything yet, Samsung?)

I really just enjoy being outside and getting fresh air. If I run to this little jogging path (about 3/4 mile from my front steps), I have access to hundreds of miles of desert. When the snakes start to hibernate When it gets a little cooler, I will definitely be taking advantages of this vast desert landscape. Here is one more picture from my morning run.

This picture is taken at the same place my "jogging path" picture was taken.

"Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance-you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations or coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet."
               -Doris Brown Heritage