cow pastures

I came to the quick shocking conclusion yesterday that I love the smell of cow manure. The statement doesn't really need context except for the fact that it means I am home and that I am on a long run.

I returned home on Wednesday evening and Thursday and Friday I went for a couple of short runs (about 55 minutes each). Each felt great. Quite a stark contrast to my first couple of runs just off from the ship. A combination of improperly eating for two months and the heat (41C/105F) through me into a state of extreme discomfort. BUT the good news was that my ankle was pain-free (for the most part). The discomfort I knew would quickly fade because my diet would soon return to normal at home and the temps at home would be a bit cooler. The locals in Curacao mentioned that it is there hot time of year and when I would return (mid-July) it would be a bit cooler.
We found some great routes to run in Curacao and here is a pic of some trails I found close to the ship.

I still have to properly navigate the trails as I found many spines but nothing close to finding my around the lake which would appear to be about a 1.5 hour run. Not a bad run to do about 04h00 before work.

So I am home for about four weeks and then head back to Curacao. Most of my training for Grindstone will be done there which is okay. There are some sort hills I can do repeats on. I decided not to 'race' Creemore Vertical Challenge but just use it as a long training run.

So yesterday as I was running along the farm roads, enjoying the heat, I could smell the wonderful aroma of cow manure...and it put a smile on my face.