RYAN RUNS....11 in his Five Fingers

Ok, not Earth shattering here, but my goals for the week were:

1. Run 11 miles in my Vibram Five Finger Sprints (current Ryan record: 10 miles)
2. Run the 11 miles on trails only

Both goals were accomplished today at 4:45pm PST. As I crested the last hill on South Mountain and rounded for the parking lot I was filled with a Runner's High and my feet picked up their pace. I am conquering the harsh desert one step at a time. Ok, there were a couple of VERY rocky points I had to slow way down and navigate. At those rocky moments, I imagined I was running a trail series race in MN and I was wading through knee-deep water and mud. A man can dream! Instead, I was playing mountain goat on sandy trails and rocky slopes.

Next week: 12 miles! The feet are growing stronger. I'm nuts.

And to top it off, for the first time in four years living here, I was stung by a Scorpion in my own home watching the Travel Channel last night! Damn the scorpions!!!! It's a very intense bee sting. Well, actually, imagine someone taking a screw driver and jamming it into you. That's pretty much it.

Don't worry, I'll heal with no permanant damage. Everything about this place is harsh. I would love to hit some of the MN trails - used to do it all the time when on consulting gigs in a past life. I've run the Life Time Fitness Tri, and I've kayaked the Boundary Waters. In fact, I think I am partly from MN! Something about that place I really like.

I'm going to celebrate my epic run in my Vibrams and whine to someone who will listen about my scorpion sting. Life is a series of opposites, isn't it?

Peace out.