the Way of the Turtle

7 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Friday. April 25, 2008

Some days it just seems to take longer to do everything (actually, that's most days for me!) so this evening found me heading not to the relatively flat Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve but instead the Columbia Circle section of the Pine Bush (officially known as "Blueberry Hill East", "Blueberry Hill West", and the "Kaikout Kill Barrens") for some hilly running.

After a week of relative inactivity my legs felt sluggish at first, but they loosened up pretty quickly. For some reason I almost always enjoy running through this part of the Pine Bush, and today was no exception. The trails wind through open fields, pine and hardwood forests, and up and down some of the steepest hills in the Pine Bush. Maybe it was being out in the fresh air, maybe it was finally running again, but it definitely felt good.

When I got back to the trailhead I headed out for a short out-and-back across the field that makes up a large part of Blueberry Hill East, and ended up running the entire blue trail loop. Could have kept going for a few more miles without too much strain, but my legs were starting to feel it just a bit.

One portion of the trail runs along the border of a series of local back yards, and someone was grilling steaks - boy did those smell good! Sadly I ended up making do with dinner from Wendy's while I wrapped up some prep work for Saturday's weapons competition at the karate school (20 students will be demonstrating various weapons katas - I'll probably end up being one of the judges) before heading out to meet Ann, who had also come in to teach classes tomorrow morning and then assist with the competition. Not a lot of time to spend with my sweetheart this weekend... next Saturday should be much better in that regards.

JMH