Rubber Side Down

SAD Living Memorial Inaugural Run

I got a chance to enjoy a morning run at Rancho, without all the noise and chatter of my usually unstoppable monologue. The reason being I was the only one running this morning.

It was a perfect fall morning in Northern California, sun shining, that clear, warm light that bathed the hills and trails. I decided to visit some of the "old" places I hadn't seen in awhile. (What comes from not running so much this summer.) So I headed the long way, Farm Bypass and up Upper Wildcat Canyon and down Upper Rogue Valley to the little pond. Its completely dried up at the moment, which was kind of a surprise.

Coming back I crossed the causeway and went up to the junction with Chemise and then back down and around to meet up with Rogue Valley and out to the farm. All the time enjoying the cool, still morning. There were plenty of deer, squirrel, rabbit and birds, but not too many humans. I caught up with one of them on the last leg past the fallen oak, only to have him shoot away in an urgent shuffle. Well, I'm not into racing so whatever, except then he slows down again, and since I'm just keeping my pace, I catch up to him again, and now he's off again! So what the heck, I think, if he's got that much energy, he must need some motivation. So putting thoughts to deeds, I pump it up a little so that I'm just within that "he's back there, I can feel 'em" distance all the way back to the bridge.

It was a good pick up for me, and I kept him from slacking off at the end of his run, mission accomplished.

The S.A.D. run name comes from Sissie, Arnon, and Dayle, all of who are out this week for various reasons. Seeing as its usually me that's MIA, it is appropriate that I step up and put some miles in for the team.

And really, how can one avoid a Rancho run, when just this summer there were sightings of bobcats, snakes, and coyote; and I personally got to witness a red-tail hawk descend and retreive a fat grey rat from the bushes. Not to mention the somewhat awesome sight of a giant oak limb, more like a half-tree, broken off and fallen from its parent.

Nope, you just can't beat running in the Bay Area.

posted by Patrick el Coyote @ 4:11 PM