Down-Time is Done!

(Thankfully I don't subscribe to this line of thinking! It has actually been a great off season :-)

While tracking the hyped up North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler last weekend (a race I was supposed to be at) I realized a few things.  For one I felt that I made a wise decision in not trying to push a banged up achilles tendon, and two...I realized that my body and mind so appreciated the time off!  With exactly one month of not even running one mile I feel so rejuvenated and am raring to go as I start back tomorrow.  I spent the first two weeks of my break doing completely nothing (physical activity wise) and the last two doing some active recovery that included snowshoeing, snowboarding, and some classes at Recreate Fitness (a crossfit-type gym) here in Portland.

As for the new year quickly approaching the race calendar is getting more and more revealed.  First off I did not get picked in the random lottery yesterday for Western States 100 but I am in two more lotteries over the next couple months (Miwok 100k and Hardrock 100).  We'll see what happens.....regardless there are a ton of killer races out there so it's a win-win situation.  I am so stoked to get back to the trails tomorrow and have some exciting visions for 2011.  Stay tuned!

I'll leave you with a video of a bluebird day out at Mt. Hood this past Friday.  It really doesn't get much better than the day William Emerson and I had.