New Moon

This morning was new moon or least that is what my calibrated eyeballs said. The ground was wet from a nocturnal shower. The stars were dazzling. Most folks were at home snuggling under warm blankets. Us crazy runners were getting our flashlights and winter clothes ready for another trek up Mission Peak.

I saw a shooting star arc over an abandoned garage as I was putting my gloves on. This was a good sign. I am not superstitious. A shooting star is indicative of clear skies. I was dressed in a rain coat. I don't particularly enjoy running in rain. Not that rain has ever stopped me. Clear skies meant a warm sunrise!

Dan Leber, an old running partner of mine joined me for the morning trek as well as the 2 lovely ladies. The Princess Nga called to cancel. Her parakeet had the flu.

I have learned to accept and expect challenges on a run. What fun would it be if everything went perfect. I once told my son that if every day was great we would never even know it because we have nothing to compare it to. God gives us what he gives us. Take it and embrace it. We had challenges on this run. Dan had a volcano brewing in his poor tummy. My hands were cold and numb. The two girls, Isidalia and Andria were having trouble because one of them has asthma.

In the past wehave got sprayed by skunks, nearly bitten by dogs, almost run over by wild pigs, have lost car keys, flashlights, water bottles, locked keys in our cars, forgot running shoes(!), puked, got sun burned, lost, and just about everything that is not supposed to happen.

The run was enjoyable. Dan and I solved world problems. We accept the fact that God is in control and the government is out of control. If we were president...Never mind!

We run because we run. No excuses. No hidden agenda. We run.

It was a glorious run. We made it to the gate in 62 minutes. The gate is our illegal hop over point to enter the park. On a good day we hit the gate in 50 minutes. Dan has not run for 6 months. I can never figure how someone can take 6 months off and run an 11 miler up 2200 feet and not feel winded. I have 32 years of non-stop running and it still is hard.

It was cold and windy on Mission Peak. I took in the view of the entire San Francisco Bay Area. It always looks beautiful from 2517 feet. Clouds roll in and out of the valley floor. I could see San Francisco in the distance. I live in an incredible area with several micro climates. On a cold day it can snow above 1000 feet. If I am hot, I can drive 30 minutes and be in the cool redwood forest. We have nearly 8 million people living in the region, yet I can drive 5 minutes to the trail head and be in a wilderness with mountain lions, fox, coyote, and deer.

We saw no deer or wildlife this morning. We finished our run in 2:30. Any run is a good run.