I waited to publish a new post until after the Black Canyon Ascent because there wasn't really anything else interesting.  I've been pretty busy since then, but made some time to update whoever it is that actually reads this blog.

I ran the Black Canyon Ascent last Saturday.  My main goal was to just have a really good effort.  I was successful in that regard, especially during the last mile.  I did have a few slow portions of the race, but overall I think things went really well.  The light headwind helped keep me cool.  I won, set a new course record of 39:57, and was the first person ever under 40 minutes for the race.  Plus, everybody who raced got running shorts (instead of a shirt) and a delicious loaf of bread.  And I got to know some people from the mountain running community that I really had no excuse to not know.  Overall, a very successful day.

My uncle from Norway came over on Sunday.  I haven't seen him in a really long time, which is a big part of why I haven't gotten this post up earlier.  It's great to see my long lost relatives and spruce up on my Norwegian.

Training has been going pretty well.  My legs are a little tired right now, but the training plan has been modified.  Frankly, if I never feel tired, I must not be training hard enough.

As a bonus for patiently waiting for this blog post for so long, I recently learned about a really cool creature.  The naked mole rat.  They are abundant in Ethiopia and the surrounding area, are resistant to pain and cancer, and can run backwards as fast as forwards.  Their blood is especially good at transporting oxygen and they are the longest living rodent known to man.  They can live for 26 years.  Granted, they are very ugly and eat their own feces, but they can't feel pain.  That's really hard core.

Thanks for reading and I'll try to get another post up as soon as something else interesting happens.