the Way of the Turtle

RAINY WOODS
5.8 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Friday, April 4, 2008

This was one of those runs where the entire time my legs felt like they'd been filled with concrete. Guess they haven't recovered from Wednesday's run yet... I took tonight's run really easy and did a lot of walking, so hopefully a rest day tomorrow will help them bounce back in time for Sunday morning's 15k...

It rained lightly pretty much the whole time I was out on the trails, which left the woods looking fairly cool... I almost wish I'd brought my camera, even though I would have had to pack it in a ziploc back. I also tested out the fancy Nashbar rainjacket I picked up on sale a while back... it's definitely a nice jacket and even fits well except for over my fat belly... more incentive to try to lose that! Doesn't seem too breathable, but I can live with that if it keeps me from getting drenched when it rains.

Spotted two deer as I was coming over a hill deep in the woods... stopped to check them out and eventually saw that there were seven deer altogether, the largest group I've ever seen in the Pine Bush. They spent a while trying to puzzle out what I was, and finally decided to leg it, bounding off into among the trees. There was also a bird with a rather strange call that I kept hoping I'd spot, but it always sounded like it was quite a ways off.

One of the main trails is closed for "habitat restoration"... more woods being stripped to leave behind what will someday resemble more natural pine bush habitat. I get it, I really do... but I miss the trees.

JMH