Running in the midst of the changing season is like heaven to me.  Fall is absolutely the best time.  The cool air and dropping leaves portend winter is coming.  I’ve been working crazy hours lately and not getting out enough, but after a 15 hour, soul-crushing Tuesday, I took off at 3 in the afternoon Wednesday for a dream run in wet, 50° temps.  It was still a 9 hour work day, so I didn’t feel bad about the mid afternoon run.  This photo is from last week’s Ridgeline Trail Half Marathon, about a half mile before the finish.  That morning started off a cool 50°.

I drove Ellie to Wiggins this morning for her last cross country race of the season.  She wasn’t running due to a sore leg, but she wanted to cheer on her team.  Wiggins is a farm town out east.  For some reason, they ran on the roads.  Which of course meant super fast times.  The girl who won the varsity race ran the 5K in 15 minutes flat.  Unbelievable.  She won by about four minutes.  I  didn’t run the 5K much faster than that in college.  This girl is going to be world class.  Even without Ellie racing, I enjoyed my morning watching the other races.  This photo above is of the varsity girls team.