I like dirt.

A couple of things to know about me: I like things hot (sorta) and a little dirty (emphasis on the little part). ;)


1. Heat: I drink my coffee extra hot, almost exclusively. I don't know what it is, but there's something oddly incongruous about ice cubes and coffee. I definitely get some strange looks when I order an extra hot soy latte on a 90 degree day, but I like what I like. I also like my Thai food spicy (that's Thai spicy, not American spicy) and my reheated soup/sauces/leftovers need to bubble and boil a little before they are fit to eat. That being said, I only tolerate extreme high temps moderately well--go figure. I am enjoying trail running immensely, but I think it is the shade of the leafy trees that saves me from having an overheated experience like that in the Honolulu Marathon in 'o4. I also think that carrying enough water helps a little too. Sooooo...I think I need to spend a little money on a hydration racing vest that will keep me comfortably hydrated (and carry enough water for me AND the bf--who never comes prepared!)

This little beauty is pretty sweet, don't you think?


2. I don't mind sweating and getting a little dirty is fun. Who doesn't still wish she could stomp around in mud puddles like a little kid, hula hoop until dripping sweat or rock hop through the overgrowth splashing and collecting grit along the way? Okay, maybe not too many people still love to do this stuff, but I completely dig it. I love the crazy feeling of emerging in a new place on the trail only to be floored by the awesome beauty of a buck and a doe staring back at you from just a few feet away. My trail runs thus far have delivered all of this and more...oh so much more. On a recent Sunday run, we encountered so much litter and garbage on the trail I thought I would be physically ill. Really. Seeing all that post consumer, non-biodegradeable waste, rotting bits of food and stench nearly made me wretch. I like it dirty, but not like that! All the litter from careless trail users and fishers is threatening to make a beautiful headclearing run feel like drudgery. At this point I'm not even sure a trail clean up day every weekend of the Summer would resolve the problem and it just makes me a little sad. I feel like I need to resurrect that silly slogan from the '70s/'80s "Give a hoot, Don't Pollute!" and wear it on a neon shirt for every trail excursion. I wonder if that would actually work?

So now you know more than a few things extra things about me: I have old fashioned ideas about manners and I don't think Ma Nature is being treated very courteously.