Training Log Archive: Swampfox

After nearly 2 weeks of mild weather, someone who didn't know better could be forgiven for thinking that winter was over. But at 7300', winter is never truly over--and certainly not in February.

Yesterday it snowed occasional snowflakes most of the day in town, which resulted in nothing. Up top, however, there was 6" of new snow on the trails by the end of the day. Unpacked, but still quite skateable (you did need skis, poles, and boots, however.)

Today the groomers reported another 10" of snow. Maybe there was that much, though it didn't look like 10" to me. At any rate, there was "enough", and after yesterday and today the trails have been fully refurbished. Winter is back in full control again, and all the eager folks wanting to get their tomato plants out in their gardens will have to wait another few days at least.

While I was out, one of the things that passed through my mind was to wonder about the mysterious death of Kim Jong Nam. What killed him? By the time I got home, it was in the news: VX nerve agent. When I read that, I then wondered how did it not also kill the assassin that applied it to Nam's face? I vaguely remember (correctly? incorrectly?) from my Army days that even the tiniest drop of this nerve agent on your skin would be enough to kill a person. It also reminds me on the monthly MOPP drills we used to have to do while I was in Germany. Until you've spent a day in a MOPP suit, you haven't lived.

C • how 5

Bit by bit I begin to piggna till, but I'm still not quite back to 100%. I went up the hill later in the day than usual, and decided to skip skiing altogether as it had been pretty icy yesterday and just not all that great. So, an easy run instead. It was dark well before I was halfway round my intended route, which was fine because by then I was off single track and on ski trails for the rest of the way, and therefore I had solid footing with no fears of any unseen postholes or the like. I stopped several times on the way back in to look up at the stars, which were especially brilliant tonight.

Biked earlier today in sun and mildness. Didn't feel the least bit like winter!

Unusually for February, it sprinkled light rain in town for the latter half of the afternoon. But it turned to snow halfway up the range.

This week this person has been running bigly like a "finely tuned machine". Probably nobody in the history of all mankind has been performing at a higher level, not many at least.

Translated into non-fake language, I have been sick, mostly marked by a sore throat and low fever and related symptoms. The irony is the weather has been gorgeous for this whole time--sun, not so much on the wind, and quite mild. In fact, the past two days set new record highs for Laramie--59F yesterday. I hope to get better one day, and, in the meantime, no chaos here!