Montana/Wyoming/Idaho/Oregon — all states I enjoy for their Rocky Mountain similarities.  Other states, close friends or family reside.  Then... there’s a random handful I can’t explain why; I always race well & just feel at home/super comfortable — Minnesota, Kentucky and… Iowa.

Quick 10-minute drive to Riverside Park.  Dragging this day.  Out late [the] night before, enjoying the ‘social’ in social running.  Or… could just be the ‘Day 5’ blues — middle days of a long series are mentally tough.  Folks have come/gone.  Focus shifts to what’s hurting vs what new joy the day brings. Opportunity here.  Turn that frown upside down, McGruff.  Not my first rodeo 🙂

Easy scenic bike-path on Lewis and Clark Trail, alongside the Big Sioux River.  Cool comfortable morning temp.  Fields of purple.  Deer.  Leafy shade.  Slow start; progressively got faster.  Ran with Dollar Bill/the Ohio Exterminator, later Guinness Mom Chey.  2nd Half — Jason, our TV anchor from Columbus & finally, Bolle from [East] Germany.  Push, push, push.  Fastest finish of the Series.

Story of two different runners.  Quiet/negative-spirited guy at 5am & alter-ego medalist 5 ½ hours later.  Hung ’round, cheered on others, chatted with a local (John) completing his first marathon. Practice flipping mental slog/dark mindset will be a great tool for my 100-miler 👍

Less folks making the trip north to the Dakotas.  More goodbyes.  Rare 3-nite hotel stay, followed by a dark-hour morning commute to our only Prairie Series trail run in Baltic, South Dakota.

5 down, 3 states to go.  Momentum a shiftin’.

Prairie Series — Sioux City IA