Angry Crayfish

Headed back to Pilot Knob State Park to allow for some distance on more rugged terrain than Mason City provides.  It had stormed last night so I was fully expecting some mud.  It also became quite foggy after I arrived so the humidity was very high, as well.

I used an early start to my day to get me there at a time that would let me get in a long run and still be home shortly after lunch.  I had some added incentive midway through the workout as the spring version of a local trail race kicked off at least half of my 3rd loop.

The run went even better than I had hoped and I also was able to learn a bit about dealing with stomach issues and what I do or do not need for relief of knee pain.  I believe my stomach problems always occurred shortly after taking electrolyte capsules but I would always recover and it seemed to help avoid cramping when my hamstrings began to twinge.

My 2nd and 3rd loops felt the best and the last miles were fine if I provided short hiking breaks.  I was pleased to have run most of the distance with some very sporadic hiking.

Bonus observations today...an unusual visual of mushrooms growing out of some horse droppings...in another spot of cut logs, a rather good cluster of edible oyster mushrooms (I picked some to add to yesterdays morels for a treat this evening)...and an angry crayfish on the path for at least two of my loops near the prairie ponds!

Amazed by how the appearance of these mushrooms changed each time I passed. The gills began to blacken by the last pass.

Love the look of birch trees across water!

Oyster  Mushrooms...very edible.

Angry Crayfish

30 miles for the park run then 3 mile recovery hike for the evening.

To The Morning

Truly an enjoyable morning to hit the trails.  I couldn't help but remember an old favorite by Dan Fogelberg.

Sunday's post claimed that I was "getting serious" then I promptly followed that with two days of messing around collecting mushrooms during my workouts.  Today I wanted to stay focused on the run but still couldn't resist a couple short stops when I could see mushrooms as I ran by!

It had rained quite a bit overnight and there was a fair amount of mud today.

A turkey strutting along in the mud.

Another turkey wearing Salomon S-labs

The middle loop became my "sweet spot" and I felt great while running the 5 mile loop non-stop and at a faster pace than what I've been holding lately.

15 miles on the morning with a 3 mile recovery hike planned ...weather permitting.

Interruption

It was pleasing to get going today and discover that my legs were back already!  The lethargy that I felt post 25 mile run has subsided and the recovery was not too drawn out.  However, I still intended to take it easy so the pace was relaxed...that is until I began to find more mushrooms, then I took time to scan the area from several different approaches.  This paid dividends in that I was able to collect more morels than I found yesterday and they were quite good sized and fresh!

So the workout was another split session with running out and back separated by combing the woodland floor for almost an hour.  The sun came out and I'm sure this contributes to better mushrooming.  The temperature rose at least 15 degrees while I was out.

Saw a small juniper exhibiting the noticeable sporalating stage of cedar rust disease.  Quite bright and reminded me of the yeast slime on the stump back in April.

11 miles running then a brisk evening hike for 16 miles on the day.

You Don't Know Jack

Noticed one of my favorite wildflowers today... Jack In the Pulpit.  They've been emerging for a few days and have become more noticeable.

emerging

But not to be out-done, there are now Mayapple blossoms and another favorite (state flower of Colorado) Columbine.

Mayapple blossom

Columbine

Then to cap it all off, I ran across more morel mushrooms in one outing than I've found in a long time.  Good for a side dish at tonight's meal and likely some left for tomorrow.

I was quite sore waking up this morning so started with brisk hiking then after a couple miles things loosened up and was moving without any complaining from my knees.  Since this was designed to be a recovery day, I took the time to look for mushrooms around half way, then hurried home with the bounty!

10 miles today and another hiking session for tonight.

Early Spring

I went back to the area around the old Krieger foundations to get a photo of the root cellar.  I've added those shots to the previous post.

The floor of the woods is really changing daily as the vegetation takes off.  Today I saw Bloodroot flowers.  This seems at least three weeks to a month early this year.  So unless the recent weather trend drastically changes, I'll be hunting for morel mushrooms a lot earlier this year.

I thought about how much easier it is becoming for me to actually run routinely on my run days.  Perhaps I've been too guarded in recent years and I may have benefited sooner from strengthening the knee capsule through increased exercise rather than additional rest.  The running felt nearly normal for most of today's 10 mile loop.