Full weather circle…

When we decided to travel to Moab for a few days at the end of the year, it was likely that it would be chilly but dry. Until right after we left our house and started west, the forecast promised high 30s for the temperature and little to no chance of precipitation.

I love getting into the desert and Moab was my third desert trip of the year. I won’t repeat my running experiences from the first two (I posted about the Death Valley Junction and Lone Pine runs last winter and Joshua Tree this past summer) but in a nutshell, I had one cold morning, one cold morning with high winds, one pleasant summer morning, and a baking 105.8 degree summer afternoon. My assumption ahead of time for this trip was that I would add three more cool-to-cold winter runs.

It was quite a shock when there were two inches of snow on the ground the morning after we arrived with continued snow forecast through the following night. My running was way outside of my expectation zone. Both mornings featured plenty of snow on the ground with more flakes coming down. It’s not uncommon for Moab to get snow but to have a thick layer of it on the ground was unusual. While I had wanted to enjoy running in dry conditions while surrounded by red rock, that was impossible.

It was quiet (not nearly as many people are there that time of year) and easy to enjoy. There are paved paths that spread in multiple directions from the junction of Highways 128 and 191 on the north end of town. One leads along 191 two miles into Moab, one goes north along 191 past the Arches National Park entrance and then about ten miles from town, and one goes up the 128 “River Road.” I opted for the latter two directions while there. While it can be rewarding to find more rural paths, there’s something to be said for using a trail that’s right outside your hotel and still provides spectacular views, even if there are clouds and snow.

Due to footing and that I was coming off of a nasty bug, my runs were short and not very speedy. But, I was out there and realized during the first run that I had experienced, even if in a limited way, the very wide range of temperatures and conditions that occur with desert running.

Was it not quite as ideal to not have the running conditions I expected and wanted? Sort of. But, since I don’t live in a desert, I don’t have the daily experience of people who do and running in this wide variety of conditions, including snow, gave me a window into seeing the various scenarios people there handle. I still don’t have hundreds of desert running days, but I do have a thorough range of weather experiences there.

Update on training for shorter distances. Well, due to a minor upper quad tweak that came up in late November followed by being under the weather for the past ten days or so, my mileage has all been in the “maintenance” category and speed work and longer runs have been put on hold. However, I have started studying up on the world of racing flats in preparation for when I am ready for longer speed sessions and shorter races.