A few thoughts about the way I feel about Colleen, the VCNP dendroglyph project coordinator. I've read that people often feel repelled by their shadow. I wonder if part of how I feel about her is that I see myself in her. Here's some ways I can think of that we're alike - controlling, honest to a fault, high strung, eager to please and to have others like us. I dropped off the VCNP Visitor Map to her this morning and invited her to go on a hike instead of cleaning up her desk but she wasn't really ready to do that.
When I looked up and saw the Jemez all swathed in white mist and the winds were hellishly blowing and snow and rain were swirling around downtown, I gave up my plans to go up to FR181 and went down to White Rock instead. I was the only one hiking in on the lower Water Canyon trail. I went just past the saddle between Water and Potrillo Canyons and then turned around. The funny thing about my decision to go down to the milder climes of White Rock is that I could look over at the Jemez and the clouds had lifted above the mountains. I bet it would have been fine on FR181. I wish that I could have shown someone the ruby-peach colored domestic irises that I saw growing in Water Canyon today. They were on the right side of the trail, going out, where you first start to see a small arroyo on your right.
I was testing the Nike Free shoes today. One thing I notice is that I really slap my feet down hard. Jolie Bookspan, The Fitness Fixer, says that you don't notice how heavy footed you are in cushioned shoes. I think that's true. The Nike Frees are like walking in bedroom slippers and I really notice that I'm pounding my heels into the ground. I read about the Bones for Life program in Bookspan's blog and it's related to Feldenkrais so I got a few books on Feldenkrais from the library to try to learn more.
One comment about my extraordinary aerobic conditioning in going up the final pitch on Tschicoma yesterday, I didn't see any evidence of that on today's walk. That makes me wonder if the CoQ 10 that I took Tuesday morning was what made going up Tschicoma so effortless? I was only planning to take it once a week but maybe I should try twice a week. I hate to get hooked on taking it but maybe I'm low in it and that's why it had such a dramatic effect. I wonder also if the extra vitamin D had anything to do with yesterday's performance or with how my foot pain seems mostly gone?