Flagstaff

It's been a couple of weeks since I moved down here and in that time I have gotten fairly acquainted with my new home. The presence of real winter conditions was something I slightly underestimated, but I am still getting in some good runs both in town and below the snowline. I keep meaning to take pictures to share this varied scenery that is quite exotic in comparison with my (still beloved) Sierra Foothills. From the red rocks in Sedona to the 12,000+ foot San Francisco Peaks I am not at a loss for landscapes to admire. Unfortunately I do feel significantly slower now then my last couple of weeks running in Auburn, but that can be attributed to the following factors (excuses); ELEVATION, Trail familiarity and conditions(The trails back home are truly luxurious, getting used to snow and ice and the sheet-metal screws that go along with them has been strange but fun),  and the fact that I have been working to up my mileage significantly. Way Too Cool is in less then two months, and I am not exactly in 50k shape. The easy solution for that is a heavy dose of long runs. I'm getting a solid three long runs a week and trying to compliment that with speed or recovery runs plus three yoga classes (I am soooo close to touching my head to my knees) per week. Last weekend had me(lost) on the trails of Sedona for over 6 hours plus a really fun barefoot session on a golf course. I am also considering the following races for the spring season; Moab Red Hot, Pirate's Cove, Zane Grey, and either Bishop or Silver States.... I am starting to love it here but am looking forward to getting my fix of the Sierra's for a week plus in March. Future posts will include more details on specific runs and training blocks and maybe even some photos.