Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Prentiss Woods

The high school I teach at is next to a city park called Prentiss Woods. It's not very big and more of a park than actual woods, with around a mile and a half worth of trails total. Still, it's nice. Our cross country team practices there sometimes and the location is convenient.

I hit that today, basically redlining the trails and throwing in a few loops around our athletic fields for some variety. The skies were overcast which muted the setting sun. That fit into the late autumn vibe perfectly.

It feels good to start kicking off the rust.

Ran 3.5 miles @ 9:41/mile pace.
Trails.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 40s, overcast.
Inov-8, shorts, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie.

Monday, November 07, 2016

The Beacon

Cross country season and "Daylight Savings Time" have both ended. The ironic juxtaposition of gaining time after work and losing time in the evening added a surreal element to a post-work run. With more free time now, I plan to start running regularly again and building towards some serious goals.

With that, I headed down the Airline. My headlight was strapped on my noggin, but wasn't quite necessary just yet. I ran along, noticing the usual things one misses when driving... how pretty certain houses are, paths leading into woods, a stunning bog with a brook running through it, etc. The headlamp was now needed and I switched it on.

I turned around a little over a mile and a half into the run. Shortly thereafter, I saw what I quickly realized was the lighted sign from the general store across the street from our house, perched on a hill and rising above the trees in the foreground. It was a mere white dot, and I glanced at my GPS and noted that it was a mile away, but given how sparsely populated my area is, there was no doubt that's what it was. There was an eerie comfort in that light. I was running a route I never had before. Granted, it was short, but with the approaching dark I felt farther from home and seeing that beacon offered a little comfort.

Not far from my house, I glanced down a steep slope and noticed the woods were flooded. I saw a beaver lodge and then a silhouette of something moving in the water. I had hoped it was a trout creating ripples in the water, but I quickly realized it was the beaver. I stopped and watched him swim for a few moments before moving on home.

Ran 3.1 miles @ 8:24/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Mid 30s, partly cloudy.
Altras, reflective vest, two long sleeved shirts, tights, buff, headlamp.