Flexing muscles, grunting.

Flexing muscles and grunting has become a new favorite thing to do. I like to admire my (modest.......ok, very modest) progress in front of various mirrors. Should you ever video chat me on gmail, you might also be treated to a gun show. Don't all rush at the same time, now!

I set off for a run Tuesday morning on a different path than usual. On my 4-ish mile out-and-back run I like to use the dirt trails - my knees feel a lot better by the end. This time I stuck to the paved trail after a rainy night...I didn't realize it until mapmyrun.com spit out my distance - but I ran 5.24 miles without really thinking about it! Here's a picture of my loop:

I felt good enough after doing this to run my 3-ish mile loop this morning. Here's a picture of that.

You'll notice that the first mile is the same for both runs. It's pretty sweet that these are all through parks on paved bike/running paths. I really enjoy being outside in the morning. The long run has trails that trace alongside a stream called Carlin Springs. As the sun rises and light leaks through the trees, reflecting on the running water, I wonder how I'm so lucky to experience it and have the trail to myself. I found a photographer in Arlington who posted some pictures on flickr - here they are:

I think he obviously did some fake foliage...but you can see the paved trail above the bridge in this picture.
This is what the dirt trail looks like as it winds through the forest alongside the stream. Pretty cool.