Return from the Last Frontier

Despite running 8 of the first 9 days of my trip out West, I only ran 3 times while in Alaska. I was simply too busy or wasn't in an area where running was possible (ie - a remote area without any roads). I sort of knew this going into the trip and planned as such. And, only 1 of those 3 runs was a run worth posting about... 

When I arrived in Anchorage my friend Josh scooped me up from the airport. Together we drove up to Glen Alps, far above the city. We ran a stretch of power lines (photo above) that cut between two mountain ranges. It was a beautiful day by Alaska standard, but amazingly I still ran through snow banks lingering around from late spring. I got in about 8.5 miles.

Alaska was great. Some might even say epic. There is far too much to go into here, but one of the highlights was seeing the three brown bears (photo below) catching and gorging on salmon in one of the state's countless waterways.

Fast forward to this past Saturday...

I met the GRC team at the Chevy Chase Running Company. There was a 40-degree difference in temperature from when I left Alaska so the going was slow at first. I got in 9. The next day I ran 7 by myself and on Monday I got in 7.5. My pace is still quite quick, but I imagine it'll slow down once I start putting in the miles.

On Tuesday I met Karl for what is likely his last run as a member of the North Bethesda Distance Project. Sam and Wiggy joined in the fun. Karl is moving to Ashburn and we'll all be sad to see him go. For the past 3 or 4 years (I can never remember these things) Karl's lived no more than a mile from me, so coordinating runs, throughout the year, has always been a treat. With Sam now living in DC and Karl living in VA, the NBDP is comprised of chicken-infatuated oddballs and old men like Jordan and Scott. Sigh.