the Way of the Turtle

6.6 Mile Run in the Pine Bush
Tuesday, August 3, 2010

What a difference the heat and humidity make... Sunday I pushed myself through almost 11 miles despite having run almost 12 miles the day before. Today I had a tough time plodding through a very slow 6 1/2 miles, and even called it an evening rather than extend my run by another mile or so. Granted, my legs were definitely tired from the last four days of riding and running... but tonight was a reminder of just how tough it is to run when it's hot and muggy (so much so that my glasses fogged over whenever I stopped for more than a few moments.)

Stuck mostly to the Great Dune section of the Albany Pine Bush for tonight's run... didn't see much wildlife, other than a deer dashing away into the brush and two wood thrushes at one point (one perched on a branch in front of me for an incredibly long time; unfortunately, the light was too dim for me to get anything other than a very blurred photo.)

I haven't run much in the Pine Bush so far this summer... it's good to see plants coming back to the many parts of the Great Dune that have been stripped for "habitat restoration" during the last year, and the various wildflowers are especially welcome... lavendar wild bergamot, yellow common mullein, pinkish joe-pye-weed, goldenrod, and all sorts of other blossoming plants cover the many of the open areas.

JMH