My mom has been planning, for some time now, to teach Thai food cooking classes out of her house in Tallahassee, Florida. Last week, she taught her first class of 6 and she tells me it was quite a success. Many other people have already expressed an interest in other classes. I'm super happy and proud of her but better yet, she's happy and proud of herself. She's always been an amazing cook and it's good to see her going after her dreams. Way to go, Mom!

Also speaking of Mom, I'll be leaving the Rockies for the Florida Panhandle next Wednesday to see her. She and my stepfather live in Tallahassee, which can be as hot and humid as you can stand in the middle of the summer. Mid-April should be tolerable. I'm sure it reminds my mother of Thailand. Sorry Mom, but the Son likes the air cool and dry. I digress but it's my blog, so, I can. Anyway, can't wait to get in some long, easy sea-level runs. Going down 6700' in altitude will make my lungs very happy. Tallahassee is a cool, scenic town but I'm making it a point to go to the beach and run. It's been a while. I'm expecting warm temps, low 80s, high 70s, and the usual humidity, so I'll carry water everywhere this mountain man goes. Other than that, eat some good Thai food, maybe get a tattoo (shhh...don't tell Mom), probably not much else. As for the last couple of days...

Friday, I went for the easiest 1.6 mile run I could muster after Thursday's leg crusher. It felt great, actually, I could have run much longer. I talked to myself as I ran (crazy guy!) to keep the pace very slow, about 10:16/mile. I could tell the soreness I was feeling was just muscle fatigue and not damage because once I got moving and blood pumping to my muscles, the soreness subsided. Saturday, I was still tender and decided to not run so that I might get more out of today's workout. Instead, I took Benihana for a long walk through the neighborhoods on the mountain. Nice and slow and plenty of hills. It was a great break for my legs. I think it was a smart move and I woke up this morning feeling quite strong.

This morning, I ran a road loop from the house out to Hwy 40, to RCR 14 (River Road), across the bridge at Tree Haus, up Mt. Werner Circle to Village Dr. and then, down Whistler to Walton Creek and home. Cold but sunny. Nice, relatively flat 7.3 miles, that I did in 1:08, at a 9:18/mile pace (avg.) and then another half mile cool down. To make the run more challenging, I played a game where I ran on asphalt or concrete only when absolutely necessary. Eventually, I allowed myself 10 steps to cross streets. This essentially made the whole run a trail run as I ran on mud, snow, grass, dirt and rock over the course of my journey. Slowed me down, too, which is what I need to do. Gotta keep working to develop that slow-twitch muscle fiber! Technique was solid and just had a blast on the run. Met another guy running on River Road and we exchanged Low Fives as we ran by each other. I thought that was cool. Some "I'm out here gettin' miles, you're out here gettin' miles, and we're both runners who love running" comraderie-type shit.

One last note, today is the last day the mountain is open this year, closing with just over 260" of snow for the season (weak!). I went up to ride yesterday and it was so slushy and grabby I left right away. Today, I'm just not feeling it and I'm going to miss my first Last Day on the Hill since moving here. Too bad, it's always fun and sunny with everyone goofing off, wearing costumes and all that on the hill. Good times. So, if you were up there, hope you had a great time. As for me...I might just stretch and go for another run!