Evil Coach Husband and I have started a marathon training plan called FIRST which requires just three days of running per week: intervals, tempo, and long. It's a 16 week program, but we're extending it a little longer than that because neither of us have been running much since last year--I've been fighting a peroneus brevis strain in my left ankle and something weird, possibly a subluxated fibula, in my right knee, and Coach has just been lazy (only kidding). In addition, the run we're training for isn't actually a marathon, but a 17+ mile trail run from Ouray to Telluride, some of the most gorgeous mountain scenery known to the Rockies. The run is called the Imogene Pass Run and is known for its brutality. Sweet. The best part of the training is the amazing trails around Boulder and their seeming limitlessness. Finnegan, our Irish Potato Hound, is happy about the whole deal as well.We're lucky enough to live a stone's throw from an artery of Boulder's massive inner-city bike trail system. Exactly one mile from our condo are a couple of man made "lakes" (really just ponds) that are encircled by trail. One of them is also fenced and allows dogs off leash. It's a kilometer in distance, and perfect for doing intervals with the dog splashing and sprinting around like a mad hatter. He truly is a nut, but it's pretty cute. Little does he know that this lake will be where he truly learns to swim. When it gets a little warmer, we'll truss him up in our dog PFD and take the kayaks out on the lake. I'm sure he'll figure out how the whole swimming thing works if he gets desperate enough.One of the other perks of this lake is the variety of bird life around there. It's always just teeming with birds singing a symphony, which just wanted something I heard a lot of in Eugene. All in all, life is pretty good here.