Training Log Archive: Swampfox

Day 487. Can so much time really have gone by since the arrival of the black beast? It hardly seems possible, and yet, it must be true. I can scarcely remember anything from LBBB (life before black beast), and I am not sure how much longer I can sustain. I long ago gave up any notion of trying to impose limits upon what the black beast is and is not allowed to do. Resistance proved utterly futile. The black beast does whatever it wants. If it wants to sit on the sofa and watch Big Bang Theory reruns all night long, that's what happens. If it wants to jump in bed and not leave any room for me, that's what happens. If it wants to eat 2 dozen times a day and have a walk after each meal, then it gets to have 2 dozen meals and walks. I try to tell myself to just hold on somehow, that it could be worse, and that sooner or later someone will alert Homeland Security to this grave threat to the nation, but in truth I realize better than anyone that it could not be worse and that if help has not arrived after 487 days of this, then what possible hope is there that help will arrive on the 488th day? My god, how much longer can thi....uh-oh, I hear stirring in the next room, and if the black beast should discover me typing this, I know I will be forced to undergo punishment walks, so I must end this here! If only there were a YouTube video showing step by step how to conquer a black beast and regain your life...

Double uh-oh: the beast has walked in, and caught me in the act of making this entry, and now I am in big trouble! WHY IS SHE LICKING HER CHOPS????

C • I don't get it. What does m... 1

Skied in the late afternoon sunshine at Happy Jack, with lots of other happy people. In fact, there were so many happy people out the parking lot was jam packed and quite a few people had parked across the Happy Jack highway. Usually that only happens on race days. Still cold, but not too cold and the skiing was quite nice. The running on snow trails afterwards was nice, too, and by the time I was done, everyone else was done, too. A nice beginning to 2016!

When I got home you-know-who was waiting impatiently for dinner. Having run out of dog food, I was forced to serve Annie some delicious pizza; it looks like it will be cold oatmeal for me because there wasn't enough delicious pizza for both of us, darn it.

Another chilly day of skiing. Not so cold that the skis didn't work, and it was fine during the mid day with the sun out and just a little breeze, but the kind of day that once the sun set and the shadows achieved unity, you could feel the thermometer headed down minute by minute. Lots of people out, and lots of fun.

Unfortunately, there was another serious sledding accident at the old Happy Jack downhill area yesterday, and it sounds like the Forest Service is actively considering banning all sledding there. Not sure how they would enforce it if they go that way, but that would probably be a consideration, too.

As I was finishing up skiing yesterday, I was talking with a couple folks I know at the trailhead when a sheriff's truck went by on the highway with siren going, and then another truck doing the same went by a few minutes later.

In today's paper there was a sad story which explained the sirens: an 8 year old boy had been sledding with his father on the old ski slopes at Happy Jack, had crashed into a tree, and died by the time he reached the hospital.

Another day where the temps were well below normal. No wind, and plenty of sun, so no problem while the sun was still up. Shaded uphills were definitely slow (at least with my skis) and everything else was pretty good, even with just single digit temps. Got colder quickly as soon as the sun went down though! Many skiers were out.

Didn't realize it until today, but we had record lows for both Sunday (-24F) and Monday (-23F), which is one plausible explanation for why none of the snow seems to be melting.

C • An opportunity 2

Did realize there was snow, so better go make skiing while the sun shines. Sub-normal temps continue to rule, and will hold in place for the next few days at least.

A teensy bit warmer today, which in turn meant the skis were a teensy bit faster, which is great because my feeble ski arms need all the help they can get.

I waited as long as I dared to go skiing, thinking that somehow the actual temps might warm up close to the forecast 18F. That didn't happen. I'm sure it got to 1F, but I'm not sure if it got any warmer. It was still about -7F at noon in full sun, and that wasn't a good sign.

Even so, by late afternoon it must have been at least a tad warmer than when I was skiing yesterday, because my skis had some degree of glide over most sections of the trail and my hands were staying warm for the most part. Lots of folks were still out after 3, another sign that it must have been warmer than yesterday.

Like yesterday though, it was still nice to switch over to running. I stayed out late enough to enjoy seeing the start coming into view, but not late enough for the moon to join them.

It should be less cold tomorrow.

The black beast is ready to hit the bar scene in downtown Laramie on a Saturday night:

From publiken

Excellent Yowsa! in the late morning: no wind, just the right amount of new snow, plus crisp temps. Really couldn't have been better.

Chilly out today, for sure the coldest day of the season so far. An acquaintance I ran into at the Tie City trailhead told me it had been 1F when they had left home, but I suspect it was already below zero by then at Happy Jack.

I started out skiing, but cut it short as glide was de minimus and hands were cold, and switched over for running as a better option--which proved to be correct. Thankfully there was only a light breeze. The running was very nice, with ice fog forming and settling in over the Range towards the end. It was -6F by the time I got back home, so definitely winterish out.

When I got home, it was time to make good on a promise, having told the black beast we would head downtown for dinner. But first, some remedial "freshening up" was necessary--south of the border, down Colorado way, those folks apparently aren't big believers in bathing and such. So I led the black beast into the shower, and turned on the water. I think we were both about equally surprised by what ensued. Lordy.

While Annie dried off, I plugged in a guitar and ran through a couple of songs. The volume wasn't properly decadent though, so I gave the volume knob on the amp a good yank and played them all over again. Yeah-ya man! : ) Then we were ready for departure. Let’s go in på stan!

Some places in Laramie are dog friendly, some aren't, and you don't know until you try, and the first three places we tried weren't having any of it.

The next place we tried was Sweet Melissa's and they weren't having any of it either. "Sir, I'm sorry, but you can't bring your dog in here," they said.

I told them: "I'm no sir, and this here's no dog, she's a vegetarian." When they heard that, they brightened right up and seated us at the bar. I think we fit in just fine, with Annie barking away until a waiter hustled over with a couple of menus, and Annie loved her tofu burger. Good thing they didn't ask for ID because Annie was going topless--I mean, tagless, as in no dog tags. But then, it *was* Saturday night in downtown Laramie.

Dra iväg från stan!

When we got back home Annie hopped right up on the sofa, and I was going to kick her ass real good, but then I thought what the hell, it's Saturday night in Laramie, Wyoming, and if Kris were here she'd be on the sofa instead of Annie, so what was the difference, really? When it's -13F outside at night and -12F inside, a dog on the sofa isn't the worst thing in the world.