Running Memoirs

This morning was a nostalgic run with Andria and Nadia to the hang glider launch in Milipitas. The hang glider launch is significant because the best runs that I have had with Andria and Nadia have taken us there. I have been running with the girls for nearly 6 years. We are like brothers and sisters now. We tease each other, share food, and tell stories on the trail. We put up with each others quirks just like brothers and sisters. None the less, we do like each other.

One of our regular runners, Izette, was not able to run with us. This brings a little sadness because we miss her company. And of course we know that she is missing the best time of the weekend. She has been known to take long exotic vacations to places Greece, Hawaii, and Europe with her husband Jeepo. She is always ready to run when she returns from circling the globe.

Nadia and I are not training for anything. Running is a means to an end for socializing. A fast pace is not even on the menu. We try to stick with the motto "Time on your feet" as opposed to a fast pace. With trail running, we tend to walk more than run. Those steep hills are impossible to run and it takes more energy!

However, I have put myself into a quandary. I have shed 12 pounds this year and am running so much faster without even realizing it. Don't get me wrong, I am hardly a rabbit. Running with 12 pounds less just makes it much easier to get up those hills. My quandary is that I have put many unsaid expectations with my running friends. I would rather be running with friends that running solo fast.

Since we were running at a moderate pace, I decided to take a lot pictures of us running through the beautiful country side. I started the photo shoot just before we entered the horse ranch.

Trail sign

The horse ranch was incredible. We saw a few dozen horses and I got close enough to almost pet the colts. The grass was fresh and green from the recent rains. The rocks had multi-colored lichen growing on them.

We were able to see several deer run across the hill side. I saw a total of 8 deer on this run. This is not unusual in this remote area.

We arrived at the hang glider launch in approximately 2 hours and thirty minutes. We took several photos over looking Silicon Valley.

Mission Peak was full of people. It seems that on a typical Saturday, several hundred people traverse the mountain. Considering that the population of Silicon Valley is several million people, this is a small number.

We finished the run in just over 4 hours. It really was fun. I feel like the 3 of us have grown up together after so many runs.

Crossing the gate into the horse ranch