Not for far and not for long but I did manage to run most of the way down The Dome, a smallish (by Alaska standards) mountain on the outskirts of town.
It's been raining here in Alaska and I spent most of Labor Day weekend with my butt planted firmly at my desk, in a desperate attempt to finish my novel by mid-September (that goal is kind of like attempting to run a sub-three hour marathon: totally and absurdly impossible).
So last night when the clouds cleared and the sun miraculously peered down, we threw on our running clothes and headed up Campbell Airstrip Road. I can only sit so long. After that, I need to move (move!).
We had to leave The Beebs home, since she's too limpy for uphill climbs (poor Beebs; poor old, smelly, wonderful Beebs), which made me a bit weepy; I had never climbed The Dome without her.
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| Beebs on The Dome last year. |
The beginning of the trail was muddy and overgrown so that the brush was as high as my shoulders, not too comforting in bear country but I had my trusty bell ring, ring, ringing as we climbed, climbed, climbed.
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| Bridge crossing (for some reason I always imagine falling, I guess to see how far my body would be swept) |
We ran down, slowly; it was more of a jog but it was running nevertheless. I was so happy to feel my body move in familiar cadence again, and to jump over roots and rocks and slide in mud and get my feet wet, my legs dirty. What a joy! I cannot wait until I'm back to running full force.
I've become a bit hooked on downloading books on Amazon and I don't even have a Kindle, yet. I read them directly on my computer. There's a beauty to one-click ordering. I can read anything I want, whenever I want. Any book in the world, or at least the world according to Amazon which, since it bought out Goodreads, might soon be the world.
Reading: Right now I'm reading Our Children Are Not Our Children, a collection of short-shorts by Kevin Brennan, and Stranger in Town by Cheryl Bradshaw, which is a fast and light read thought many situations aren't exactly plausible.
Anyone reading anything stupendously good? If so, let me know, okay?
Cheers and happy running/hiking/reading.
Have you read the snow child? Loved it.
ReplyDeleteYes! It's remarkable. Truly.
DeleteYeah for running! Sorry Beebs couldn't go hiking. My Monster is getting older and she can't do much in the summer anymore because of the heat. There will be signs of old-lady-spunkiness when it cools off.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Non-fiction). I am a huge science nerd, so it's interesting to me on that level, but I could see how other might not be as geeked out by it.
What type of novel are you writing?
OMG, I just read an excerpt and I'm totally ordering the "Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." I love non-fiction, especially when it's well written and includes deeper side stories. Cannot wait to read. Thanks so, so much for the suggestion (how did I ever miss hearing about this book??).
DeleteI read the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for book club. Not one I would have chose on my own, but I'm glad I read it.
DeleteI'm sorry Beebs couldn't run with you. I am too cheap to order much on my Kindle. I own one (a gift) but don't use it a lot. I LOVE books - real ones and I use the library a lot. I'm reading
ReplyDeleteMud, Sweat, and Gears: A Rowdy Family Bike Adventure Across Canada on Seven Wheels by Joe Kurmaskie and Beth Biagini Kurmaskie. I also read the book that came before this. I think I liked the first one better but am also enjoying this one. I also read the latest book in the Stephen White series and was disappointed. May be my last one. Have you read Big Brother?
I love "real" books too but ordering online and getting instant access is a new kind of high (probably this will diminish when I start running again and get back to my normal high, lol).
DeleteOMG, "Big Brother" is by the same author who wrote "We Need to Talk About Kevin," which was outstanding. Thanks for the recommend. I'll have to order that one at the library, since the Kindle price is $12 (ouch!). Love, love, love my books. Cheers and happy reading (and running, biking, sky diving, etc.)
I just went and read the review on Amazon of Compound Fractures and found it was the last book in the series. That makes me like it even less. Lousy ending - unresolved and I started to no like the characters whom I've always liked.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading This is How You Lose Her, by Junot Diaz, another book club pick
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christa! I put it on my Goodreads list. Cheers and happy reading, and happy autumn.
ReplyDelete