Garmin watch. Not sure how I ever trained for any marathons without this gadget.
At the last minute, I threw in some handwarmers in case I had frozen finger syndrome again. (Turns out, I didn’t need them this week, but better safe than sorry. Whoever invented these things has saved my butt many a day, especially when I’m alpine skiing.)
Anyway, it was an incredibly foggy day (I’m wondering if I will ever run in the sun again. This has been a Seattle winter in Boise). And not nearly as cold as I had thought. I overdressed, after nearly freezing to death last week, and was drenched in sweat by the time I got to the top of the hills an hour later. I’m not sure why I decided to run another tough hill course. I think, by the time I ran along Bob’s trail for a couple of miles, I had crossed so much water, I didn’t want to turn around and back track. This was my first obstacle (good thing it wasn’t cold or my feet might have frozen).
Also, this is the barbed wire fence that sent both me and Walden to the doctor for stitches this summer. Some people might wonder why I keep running here. 
So I kept going up and up and up. And before I knew it, I had run about 6 miles up some pretty tough hills (I could check my Garmin for the exact elevation climb which is really dorky but kinda cool). Not only was I beat, but I had an upset tummy to show it. By mile 4, all I could think was how much I wish I had not eaten an omelet just before I ran. Also, when I got to the top, I was not rewarded with my usual lovely view of the Boise hills. In fact, I felt like I was entering the twilight zone. It’s a good thing I was familiar with this course or I may have gotten a bit vertigo-ish. Top of Hill
I was really happy when I got home. Sometimes, things just don’t go as smoothly as you might like. I was so tired and sick at to stomach, I did not carry out my post-run ritual to the extent I usually do. I did a few stretches then headed straight to the bathtub for a hot soak (thankfully bypassing the toilet en route). A pint of Gatorade and ham and cheese sandwich later, I was ready for beers and the superbowl, however.
