race dreams and not following my own advice

I really should learn to practice what I preach.

Tuesday evening, I started to run and could feel my back tightening up.  I turned back home, ready to throw the towel in.  But I really wanted to run, and I thought, quit being a baby and suck it up, buttercup. So out I went to run six miles against what my body was saying it was ready for.

Guess who ended up with a back in spasm for the next four days.

That would be me.

Now I know better than to not listen when my body is telling me something is up, but I wanted to get the miles in.  I wanted to train hard.  I am ready to train hard, mentally.  But apparently my body wasn't ready to do so after two marathons on less than stellar training.

Lesson learned.

But I did get up to the mountains to go camping this weekend.  I had hoped for a 13-14 mile training run around Timothy Lake, but I had to settle for about 8 miles of easy hiking and lots of dreaming for next summer.

The meadow surrounding the campground.Bug heaven.

 We stayed at the small campground at Little Crater Lake, an artesian sinkhole just 1/2 a mile from Timothy Lake on Mt Hood. Quiet, with large campsites, this little spot is a gem.

Little Crater Lake is nothing like the big Crater Lake.
But it is incredibly blue and clear, and it's 34º year round.

Trails lead right from the campground to the Pacific Crest Trail - a 2,655 mile trail from Canada to Mexico over the Cascade and Sierra Mountain ranges.  (The record on this trail is 65 days, 7 hrs, 16 min. The film "The Runner" documents David Horton's crossing .  You could run to your heart's content on this trail alone.

Care to walk to Mexico or Canada?

In addition to the PCT, you've got a 12 mile trail around Timothy Lake, featuring many beautiful lake views, marshy areas and bubbling streams.

A peek-a-boo look at Mt Hood - still covered with lots of snow.

 It was killing me to not be able to run.  That's what I get for pushing it too hard.

A hidden marsh. We bushwacked to check this one out.

After spending some time on these trails, I decided that next year, I'm going to go for the Mt Hood 50 Miler. The race runs right through this area along the PCT.  And maybe someday, I'll give some serious thought to running the entire PCT through Oregon...

Want to kill some time dreaming of records you can set on long trails?  The Fastest Known Time is the unofficial repository of speed records on the major trails across the United States.