Mozart Under the Moonlight

On Thursday night, Sargent and I attended Mozart Under the Moonlight at the Arvada Center Amphitheatre. Although the day was hot, the evening was perfect for watching the Colorado Symphony Orchestra perform outdoors under a cloudless sky. Sargent has become increasingly interested in classical music, often listening to it at his desk at work. I must say, it is quite relaxing. He has it on his non-I-Pod, and we listen to it at night while falling asleep, each using one ear bud of the headphones.

This afternoon, I finally mowed the lawn after almost 3 weeks. It has been outrageously hot and dry in CO this summer, the driest on record in quite some time according to the people who keep track of those things. We increased our watering time so the grass has some semblance of green. The spots that got enough water grew quite a bit, but other areas are still brown. So, our lawn looked like it had mange, with long tufts of green mixed with short, brown, crusty areas. Now that I mowed the longish bits, it now just looks spotted. Oh well, it is just grass. Once I get my water bill, I'm sure I'll be in shock and will shut down watering all together and all of my efforts to date will be in vain.

Training - this was a good week for training. On Monday evening after my last blog post, I ran 13 miles. Scout didn't run with me because even though it was about 7:00, it was still too hot for a black dog. I feel guilty if I don't take her with me, and wonder what is going through her head when she sees me put on my running shoes but yet she is left at home. I don't really believe that dogs have the ability to reason, but yet we humanize them so much that it is hard to not blend the non-tangential properties.

Wednesday was the Yasso 800 day. This Yasso guy (or girl, I'm not really sure) says that the time you average for half-mile repeats (in minutes and seconds) predicts your finish time in a marathon (hours and minutes). For example, I ran 6 x 800 meters at an average of 3 min. 38 seconds. Yasso says that I should be able to complete a marathon in 3 hours, 38 minutes. This is good news. Technically, he also says that I need to be able do 10 repeats and take that average. I'll work up to that one.

Wednesday was super hot...98 in the shade hot. Of course I didn't get up at 5:30 a.m. to do this speed workout. And, we made plans for the evening for dinner with Anne, Daniel, and Jessie. So, that meant I had to get this workout in after work and before dinner. This was probably the hottest part of the day. Scout and I went to this place I used to take my old Rottweiler, Caesar, to swim. There is a gravel trail around a lake, with the South Platte River running nearby. Scout got to get in the lake and get all wet before we began. Then, as I was running these repeat 800's, she got to get her feet wet and get a drink in the river. She liked it...I did not. I got a bit over heated, and actually had chills during the last three repeats. No good. But I did them, and I ran them in fairly respectable and even times.

Friday was just a short morning run around the neighborhood. Scout loves to run with me in the morning because the squirrels are so active. She is so quick, I'm just waiting for her to catch one some day. Hopefully not, as last year squirrels in Denver were dying from the plague. Yep, the plague.

Today I ran 14.24 miles with Nancy, my wonderful massage therapist and friend. We started at the Colton trailhead and ran up and over the hill to the Greenbelt Plateau and back. The temperature was perfect (we started at 6:30 a.m.). Scout had a blast chasing prairie dogs all over. We even had an encounter with a crazy coyote. The coyote scared Nancy and I, but Scout didn't give it a second glance. After the run, Nancy gave me a massage. I hadn't had a massage for about a month, so I was definitely due. Thanks, Nancy.

Tonight, I sit under the grape arbor typing this blog. It is a gorgeous evening, as most are in Colorado. I can hear the tinkling of the water in the fish pond fountain, see the twinkling of the lights strung high up in the grape arbor, and smell the fresh cut grass (what there was of it). There is a comfort with this life that I haven't experienced in the past. I know that tomorrow I will make breakfast, drink my coffee, and read the Sunday paper. Then I will pull weeds in the front flower beds. After, and as a reward, Sargent and I will ride the tandem bike. Scout will lay around and rest her feet. At night we will drink some wine and prepare for the upcoming week. For a time, contentment can be a blessing, a security. Over time, it can be like a rut, holding you back from exploration and opportunity. If you know me, blog readers, you know that I am not good with ruts. Like getting your front wheel stuck in a washout, a slight wave of panic ensues, and you know that adjustments need to be made or you're going down. Now this may be a little dramatic, but you know what I mean. I'm already planning some epic hikes up the 14,000 foot peaks of Colorado this summer. I'll travel to Seattle to see my friend, Heather, and run a little race while I'm there. I'll try to explore new areas of the Colorado mountains that I haven't been before. These things keep me out of the rut, out of the mundane contentedness that can bring you down.