Happy St. David's Day

Today is St. David's day, the patron saint of Wales. Back home there will be parades and celebrations, and many people will don traditional Welsh dress or wear leeks or daffodils. Back when I was a kid we would have a school concert in the morning and then have a half day holiday. Sweet.

Back in Austin I had a very pleasant weekend. Yesterday I did a hilly loop around Stratford Dr, and then met up with some of my TIR teammates to do a social run around Scenic. It was super windy and we had fun messing around and trying to "draft" behind each other. The highlight of the morning was running into Henry - my "Yoda" and the guy who originally got me into running. I don't see him very often since he retired, so it was fantastic to see him and I'll always be grateful for his friendship and advice.

Another thing that run showed me was that I badly need a haircut!!!

Then this morning I met up with Roger, Joe and Joyce to run the trail at Bull Creek. Now that the upper trail has been blocked off, Ken's loop is no more (it's barricaded with chopped down trees, barbed wire and notices warning of horrific repercussions for trespassers) but we found other trails off the lower switchbacks that will still give a good run. It's a shame the scenic overlook is no longer accessible though - that was my favorite spot to sit and think.

But the absolute best part of the weekend was going hiking at Walnut Creek with Nancy and Gavin later this morning - we had a great time. I wanted to explore the front section of the park (where I rarely run), and Gavin and I investigated some unmarked trails between markers 302 and 314. The entrance was a technical drop to the creek and it was a really nice secluded trail with some great canopy cover that looped around like a crooked lollipop back to the main trail. Gavin surprised me - he moved up and down some of the hilly rocky sections like a sure-footed mountain goat. He must get that from his mother.