I did not run today. I'm still a peak bagger trying to become a runner. I climbed Lone Peak for over 6,000 feet of vertical climbing. But wait. I must confess that again, I did not tag the summit. We were literally dozens of feet from the summit, so we should pat ourselves on the back for making the effort. We got partway on the knife-edge snow-covered ridge leading to the summit and we backed off. Those cornices were just sending out some bad vibes. The snow up there was brittle, not the heavy snow that has been baking in the sun for days that makes for a safe crossing. Back in February Joe and I climbed the same mountain and turned back at the same spot. Reaching the summit of a mountain --even a mountain as gorgeous as Lone Peak-- is not worth dying for if the conditions are unsafe. But I am satisfied. We hiked on snow to a great mountain. I am also very happy with the level of energy I was blessed to have today. I got less than 4 hours sleep and got up at 4AM this morning. All day I had a crazy amount of energy and I cruised up those 6,000 feet. I was even running up some of the slopes. Here is how I will relate this to running, or even "fast running": I believe the weekly hike/runs with my buddy Scott are helping me to call up the kind of energy I had today. We had a terrific run mid-week, and I feel great for having gone. Thanks Scott for encouraging me to get out and move, even if it is only once a week. | 