i'm back

It's been a while, I know.  I just got back from my trip to Ohio and I was afraid 5 days off was gonna hurt, but it was refreshing.  My endurance is at an all-time high.  I was so amped to run this morning, I woke up at 1:30 ready to go!  I tried to go back to sleep, but I was full of energy.  I got up at 2 and ate a piece of toast with peanut butter and honey then stretched out for an hour while watching taped episodes of Conan.  I tried to go back to sleep, but it was fitful.  Something burned inside.  I wanted to run.  At 4:45 I headed up to the Orson Smith trailhead and started out and up.  Yes up and up.  2.6 miles of continuous uphill until I reached the Jacob's ladder trailhead.  I didn't stop until the Jacob's ladder area and I had an interesting experience, it was like I was in a dreamstate, the exhaustion was extreme.  I walked around the area below the trailhead, sipped some water then continued on.  I was running up the fire road towards suncrest and I thought I saw a rattlesnake in the road ahead of me, I was startled, but as I got closer I realized it was a stick.  Man, I don't know if I had put myself into a state of hallucination or what, but I was kinda freaked out!  I went all the way to where clark's trail comes out on the fire road and turned around.  I was exhausted yet I felt strong.  I ran back down and picked up the Bonneville Shoreline trail and circled back to Orson Smith.  8 miles in all.  I felt like I could do more.  Tomorrow I'm gonna run with the Bishop.  Probably my 3.5 mile loop, then some hill repeats.  Next week I'm going to run up Timpanogos, 12.5 mile round trip with about 6000' elevation gain.  I hope to make that a weekly training run, then one of these days I'm gonna stretch my legs out and do a 20 or 30 miler.  I feel like this is my calling.