Benihana and I ran hills and flats for more than an hour this morning. Not sure of the exact duration of our run as I did not wear a watch and only casually glanced at the time when we left. I'm happy with the effort and pace(s) I ran. I could feel yesterday's workouts in my legs, so I started out slowly. A little over a half mile through Whistler Park before I made my first climb, a steep 80 footer up to a nice plateau where I could run a even tempo for about 3/8 mile. Repeated the flat section out and back twice, then did the uphill and downhill to complete the loop. Then, repeated the flat section 3 times and worked the hill again. Ran back down to Whistler Park and, feeling good, Benny and I continued to lightly jog around the neighborhood. We stopped on two occasions to meet and greet with some neighbors and dogs and continued moving until I was sure that I had put in at least an hour of running (by estimation).

The weather was high overcast but not too cold, about 22 degreesF when I left the house. (Yes, I do think it's a little messed up that I don't think 22 degreesF is cold anymore.) The trail conditions were packed snow, with plenty of snow and alot of ice on the roads around the neighborhood.

Another cool note: A few mornings back, Benihana and I saw two huge, bull elk in the area we run in. Saw them again this morning! This time Benny was off the leash, but to my surprise (and delight) he did not try to chase them. [Although, he was intrigued, to be sure, and disappeared from my sight a couple times to check his friends.] It's always a concern of mine, when we are trail running, and Benny sees another animal because I don't have the heart to keep him on a leash. He's a friendly dog and wants to play with everything that moves. Unfortunately, on our many runs in the mountains, this can and has meant everything from chipmunks and squirrels and birds to deer, cows, sheep, moose and bears. (I once caught him in the air, mid-stride as he took off down the trail after a bear)