Beautiful long run up to Yelmo, then to Canto Cochino.
I had to go slower than normal because what was once dry bald rock became a waterfall on this run. It was raining quite hard before the run and at some points during it. It's one thing to run across bald rock when it's sunny and dry, and quite another to scramble across a rock that has a stream running down it. I also had to stop to scare off the mountain goats. I suppose with the weather they weren't expecting to see anybody up there. I also saw one of these guys:
http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/47/47146386-E4C8-4729...
He was contemplating my presence near El Yelmo, I stopped for a moment to look at him. He didn't seem to mind the light rain coming down on him.
I also had to confront a deep-seated phobia of mine: going into a cloud on a mountain. As I ran past El Yelmo a cloud enveloped me. Something about how unknown everything is, the uncertainty of what's above me, the already unfamiliar surroundings. It's ok if I drive into it, but when I lose the protective cage around me I am SO vulnerable to air attacks!
However, as with many risks, the reward was worth it. Running near El Yelmo in a cloud was beautiful. A fantastically eerie sculpture garden of rock pillars. When I exited the cloud I wished it would have lasted longer. Oh well, I'll just have to return.
Legs felt strong on this run. Difficult to go fast because of all the rocks and how steep the terrain was, but the effort was most certainly there. I almost felt like I was going anaerobic on the uphill. I am tired now so the long run did its job. Penultimate 5 minutes at tempo, and a fast tempo at that.