08 January 2010

No Lion....I mean...No lying

OK I'm just going to say it. If you've watched the news you probably saw the report about the cougar/Mountain Lion sighting in Champlin early December.( http://wcco.com/pets/cougar.roaming.champlin.2.1353704.html) . Well if you've read my blog you might remember me running from my home in Coon Rapids to my workplace in Brooklyn Park occasionally in August/September, in preparation for my first Ultra. Well, I actually saw (and heard) a cougar at about 5:30 in the morning in Champlin on Rush Creek Trail on one of those runs. It scared the living crap out of me. I got to work told several friends/coworkers about the encounter. I felt incredibly stupid even suggesting it to the officials as I had no proof. The only thing I can prove is that I was in that vicinity. I eventually called (left messages with) the Wildlife Management person but never heard from him before or after the encounter that was captured on film by the Champlin Police Department two months later. Apparently unless you get it on film it doesn't mean much. In their defense, I bet everyone and their brother has claimed to see one of these animals since it was caught on film. It just seems odd that they wouldn't even entertain the thought of returning my calls (in the interest of public safety) to at least find out the exact time and place that I shit my pants.

So there. No lyin' ...I saw a lion.

04 January 2010

Half-Assed Update

Well I've been doing (relatively) much more training since my last post. My ankle feels fantastic. The goal this week is 6 days, about 7-8 hours of running. I have adopted a new approach to training but I don't have alot to say about it right now because I only have about a dozen workouts in using the method.
I start cross-training next week. For Christmas I received (begged for) 2 Fitness Bootcamp classes, one 10 week class and one 8 week class, every Monday and Wednesday starting on the 11th. That should get me to mid March. I chose this class because it seemed to be pretty well rounded in terms of core, balance, strength/power. I'm hoping it is more aerobic in terms of difficulty as I'm purposefully avoiding any anaerobic efforts currently. No weight lifting, etc.
oh...and I have lost 7 pounds since my last post.