The problem I've had all week is that I've been fixated on my knee, convinced that there's something wrong with it. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to tell if the twinges are real or made up. So, this morning I decided to try the hit-it-and-see-if-it-breaks test. The good news is that my knee seems to have held up. The bad news is that the rest of me didn't. There was nothing wrong with the route. I ran from the same trailhead as I have the last two weeks, but instead of continuing on the BST to Grove Creek, I ran up Battle Creek Canyon. That was my first time up that way, and it was worth it. The climb is stiff (2.2 miles, 2,000 feet), but the canyon is full of waterfalls. It may even be cooler than Grove Creek. At the top of the canyon the trail hits the Great Western, which is part of the route we ran last week. From there, I basically ran last week's route in reverse, taking the Great Western over to Indian Springs and then running down Grove Creek and back to the car on the BST. So, it sounds like a great run, but my body wasn't there. I think I can relate to how Jun felt last week, because I had nothing. I walked more than I should have up Battle Creek. By the top I felt like I needed a gel, but both of mine were frozen, so I chose not to eat. Bad idea. Plus, it was there that I realized that my beanie had fallen out of my jacket, so there was nothing I could do about my frozen ears. By the time I got back to the BST, my ears were frozen, my stomach was upset, and my lungs felt shallow. In fact, on the hills I felt like I was drowning. I don't have any reason or excuse--in fact, I was surprised because I felt so good last week and I took it so easy this week. I guess some days are like that. Anyways, I continue to be impressed by the running options on the west side of Timp. I think next week I may try Battle Creek to Grove Creek, then halfway up Grove Creek to Trail 51, which will dump me out in the lower half of Dry Canyon. I'll take a broad guess on the stats and say 15-20 miles and 4500-5500 feet of climbing. Plus enough awesome to last a week or more. Of course, whether the run happens depends on several things, like my knee not blowing up, me finishing my writing assignment for school, and Mother Nature not dumping snow all over everything in the next seven days. If you're interested, let me know. 2:33:23 
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