the Way of the Turtle

8.5 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tough run this evening... my legs seem to still be a bit tired from Monday's 14.5 mile plod on the bike path, plus I didn't get much sleep last night. But I was very pleased that I managed to actually go a bit further than my planned distance (8 miles.)

Another pleasant surprise was - sunshine! After a day of clouds I expected the same this evening, but the clouds started to break when I arrived at the Pine Bush Discovery Center and cleared even more shortly into my run. Even with the sunshine I was glad I'd brought a jacket... it was chilly to start with and later when the sun started setting I could actually see my breath in the air as I ran.

I love running through the woods after a rainy period... everything seems a little bit greener and all around is the deep earthy smell that the rain brings out. Lots of birds around tonight, though I didn't see most of them, just heard them calling and singing. No deer in sight, which was a little bit of a surprise.

The American Woodcocks were out in force once it started to get dark... as I ran past the various wooded fields I heard numerous "peent"s coming from the darkness, occasionally followed by the twittering their wings make as they flew up and circled the field. One was close enough that I spent a few minutes shooting a video of his calls. I'm not sure if the Woodcocks are more numerous this year or if I'm just noticing them a lot more (probably the latter.)

-JMH