Back to Normal?

It was great to be back on the Lime Creek trails today.  Breezy and cool but sunny none the less.  I started a bit conservatively and found another load of cans and bottles because I've been gone for a few days and they seem to accumulate!  But eventually I got on a roll and ran some significant stretches.

I had begun the morning dog-sitting my son's new puppy then went to the cardiologist for a checkup before ramping my training up for the Black Hills 50.  So far, so good with the doctor but we're scheduled for a stress test later this week as a precaution.

I took some time to research a natural phenomenon that I had noticed last week.  A very bright orange slime growing in the oozing sap of a tree that had been cleared from around the old brewery.

Turns out, this is most likely caused by a yeast.  There was a good discussion of this in an article from Cornell University....

"Root sap gets stirring in the Spring, and even if the stems are gone, the roots may still be alive and pumping liquids, unaware there is no top to feed. Any self-respecting microorganism knows a free meal when it sees one, and soon the watery slime is translucent and greasy with yeast and bacterial and filamentous fungal growth."....  

The resulting stem is quite bizarre when seen from the trail.

7 miles in the AM and additional mile or so scheduled tonight.

Party In the Forest

I came across a campfire ring today that was totally disrespectful of the woods.  Garbage and cans were strewn everywhere and no attempt had been made to clean anything up.  I didn't even want to take a before and after photo as I picked it all up...four grocery bags for trash and four more of recycle cans!

I finally got to rolling on the trails and was pleased to feel OK running even after yesterday's long run.  Some interesting sightings today...a Cooper's Hawk with a rodent in its clutches as it flew past me, across the path, and into the woods.  Then the forest floor was coming alive with a carpet of False Rue Anemone.

Then a bit later, some additional construction by mountain bikers to help get across the abandoned railroad tracks.

A good outing...10 miles in the AM and another recovery hike in the PM.

Watch Yer Topknot

Today's cloudy start gave way to sun but also some very strong winds.  It was good to be along the bluffs and in the woods.  Later, while at the high school track where NIACC was holding practice, the wind was particularly wicked.  I wore a skull cap today rather than a brimmed hat that would surely have been swept off my head numerous times.

The change to cooler weather resulted in an interesting response from the Bloodroot blossoms that I photographed last week.  They closed up and seem to be huddled, waiting for the sun and warmth to return.

There were some other interesting sightings today.  Deep in the woods near a river bend, I saw a rather seldom seen Pileated Woodpecker.  The largest woodpecker in North America at about the size of a crow!

Since I didn't have a camera ready, I borrowed photos from the web.

Then on the return trip I spied a River Otter sunning itself in the sun on a bank.  It scurried off as I waited for my camera to be ready to shoot the photo. So I borrowed another web image.

Today was a recovery day and I didn't push many stretches beyond a fast hike.  I was also disappointed in the number of bottles and cans that I, again, retrieved from beside the trail...oh well, at least most were redeemable for cash!

10 miles.

Recovery Hiking

I planned on no more than hiking today.  This made it possible for me to check out a couple other sources for podcasts, both of which turned out to be boring and rather ridiculous.  It's hard to beat the information and energy that come from my prefered podcasts at Ultrarunnerpodcast.com and from Endurance Planet.

It was calm in the woods and still wet from overnight rain.  I'm continued to be amazed by the amount of trash that shows up within a day or two on these trails.  I spent a little extra time to be sure to pickup even little wrappers and of course, all the cans and bottles.

10 miles.

Volunteer

This week worked well to build up some miles.  Today was to be easy because of yesterday's long run followed by a few extra beers.

It was my shift to volunteer at the Lime Creek Nature Center so I chose to hike there and back.  I also needed to recollect another bag full of recycle cans and bottles, that I'd stashed under some logs during yesterday's run, so that added to my total for the day.

There were a remarkable number of visitors (89) today. The strange spell of abnormal weather surely accounts for that.

Without snow, the signs of any coyote activity are no longer visible like they had been this winter.  But I had a discussion with a visitor that stated he is hearing more of them and more often.  He lives just over the river from nature center property.

8 miles for the day so that brings the week to 71 with three key workouts that were predominantly running and others at a fast hike to recover.

The Eagle Has Landed

Interesting how even with the switch back to Daylight Savings Time, our biorhythms remain much the same.  Although the clocks in our house read an hour later than usual, I settled down to run at nearly the same time as past days, according to the sun.

I was encouraged by how the run was going today.  While I cruised out to the Badlands area, I had spotted an American Bald Eagle flying along the river.  By staying close to the bluffs above the river I eventually found it resting in a tree and took time to get a few photos.  Unfortunately for me, I wasn't quick enough with the shutter to get a shot of it as it stretched its wings to again take flight.

My intent was get a longer run in today and concentrate on more running than walking.  The plan was working well except for my tendency to be distracted by trash along the trails, especially recyclable and redeemable containers.  So I took a few breaks to gather trash.  I am disappointed by how much trash can show up in such a short time on trails that I frequent almost every day.  The season lends itself to easy spotting of these cans and bottles.  Other than a few remaining leaves from last fall, there's not much cover for the trash to hide.

Today's haul

Before writing today's blog entry, I looked at the stats page and was totally blown away by a sudden increase in hits.  Most were on yesterday's post about how to make homemade energy gel.  It became apparent that the increase came from a link in George Zack's blog, Hang Nine. George has a very popular blog and generates a lot of traffic. Thanks for the mention GZ!  I have found the gel recipe to very economical and useful when running for long periods of time on trails.

12 miles running today with a two mile recovery walk. I had planned a possible 15 to 18 miles run but settled for the 12 due to the extra time I took for the cans and bottles. So 65 for the week, which surprised me because of the struggle I was encountering midweek with motivation and overall tiredness.  Next week I'll be sure to stretch my long run to my goal distance.

Playing It Safe

Rather than continue to lament over poor trail conditions, I chose to run the roads again.  I can run gravel and shoulders and be totally assured of solid footing.  So straight out, often used, North Carolina Avenue to County B20 then back in on gravel to Plymouth Road and paved streets to return.  

County B20

I was pleasantly surprised today by how easy I was able to keep running.  I did, however, get plenty of short breaks because I still find it difficult to ignore discarded deposit containers and recyclable bottles.  

The loop ends up being 8 miles and I chose to run the majority of it with only the quick stops along the way.  I filled one entire bag with recyclables before I arrived home. A mile walk as cool down.