the Way of the Turtle

MY FAVORITE DAY IN DECEMBER
6.5 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Wednesday, December 21, 2016

That day would be the winter solstice. Known as the first day of winter in the US and as midwinter day in some locales... anyone who's read my ramblings before will know that this is an exciting day because, ever since the summer solstice we've been losing a couple of minutes of daylight each day... and now for the next six months we'll be gaining that back. And since most of my outdoor activities are restricted to after work during the week while school is in session... the more daylight we have, the better it is for me.

The paved portion of the trail had some icy patches but was mostly clear for a little over 3 miles east of Slingerlands. Unfortunately, the company that was doing work along the trail only plowed down to the trail access point near the spot where Rockefeller Rd used to cross over the rail line (on a bridge that was removed when they paved the trail.) After that there was a lot of ice, so as much as I wanted to keep going - common sense won out and I turned back.

Of course, once you start back toward Slingerlands it's an uphill climb until about the last half mile or so... I could definitely feel the grade, but despite that for the most part my legs felt able to handle it.

I considered changing into my screw shoes and doing another 2-4 miles heading west on the unpaved path... but it was getting dark and chilly. By stopping when I did hopefully I'll have enough left in my legs to do a longer run on Friday...

JMH