Just a heads up to all you Beebe Lake runners, there is road constructions going on around Beebe Lake and Forest Home Drive is closed from Arboretum Road to the entrance to the Forest Home garage until, I believe, Aug. 15. The challenge trail is still open but plan your drive to the Arboretum accordingly.
This is another beautiful place to run. I ran through the botanic gardens for last year’s FLRC Challenge but this was my first time in the wildflower garden and running around Beebe Lake. Well, it was more like a run-shuffle at this point.
Having left the tree cover of the previous course, I found the botanic gardens to be beautiful but exposed and hot. I took it easy on the hills and got myself confused a little around the sculpture garden as well. The wildflower garden and Beebe Lake offered some much appreciated shade. Running past the dam and seeing all that flowing water made me thirsty haha.
As with all these courses, I am always grateful for the opportunity to explore a new place on my own two feet. I’m not sure the next time I’ll run around Beebe Lake, but I’m so happy to have come here.
Around the time I finished Treman and Lick Brook, which is where I started the day, Jeff texted me about picking up fresh corn at a farm stand if I saw one on the way home. Turns out I had passed one that morning, but construction there would make it hard to stop. After completing the Beebe Lake course, I decided to look up Ithaca farm stands on my phone and found Eddydale’s…which was perfect, but ironically right where I had started my day on the other side of town. No problem though…the trip back was straightforward and I could head back to Bing from there. I picked up a dozen ears of sweet corn, yellow peaches, and a “small” watermelon. Everything is so delicious.
after running, stopped by the P&C at East Hill Plaza to stock up on Gatorade and watermelon
I woke up early and decided to get out before the sun to try to beat some of the heat of the day, if not the humidity. I love running early. It is so quiet and peaceful and when I get home I still have the whole day ahead of me.
I tackled my long run today with three loops of the Beebe course in an attempt to catch up with @Bwalters for most number of runs. I’m sure by the time he reads this he will have already jumped back into the lead 
On my first loop I captured the beautiful sun rise below. On subsequent loops I saw, but did not stop for photos, a blue heron within 6 feet of me perching on the top of the stone bridge, a mother deer and her two fawns, and a gaggle of geese which insisted upon running just ahead of me up the hill towards the bridge over the dam. I was glad their babies are old enough now that the parents were not being aggressive.
Due to the heat, I had diligently filled up a water bottle I was going to leave by the challenge sign post to hydrate after each loop. Sadly I left home without it. I debated running back up the hill to fetch it but didn’t want to delay my run. I then had an internal debate as to whether it was safer, meaning I’d be less likely to get dehydrated, if I ran slow and steady so as not to sweat as much, or fast and furious so I could go home and drink sooner. As you can see by my times, the latter won out. My negative splits also show how much I benefit from a long warmup!
Very tempted to write a sea shanty about the Challenge. Maybe one day soon but not today. Fortunately no toes were lost on this voyage. A few wayward deer tried their best to cheerlead and I made it to the end knackered but in good spirits.
later stopped into Greenstar for more salad greens and fresh tomatoes
Despite the warnings, I chose to run the Beebe course this morning. And what do you know? The foot bridge over the dam was closed! No big deal though, I just ran over the Thurston Ave bridge instead which only added 1/10th of a mile.
With time running out on the Challenge, I had planned to take it easy today and rest up for my Lick Brook attempt on Saturday morning. (I’ve done all the courses except Lick Brook.) But, I ran a fun 5K in Vancouver last weekend and I (finally) ran fast enough that I think the cross-country season will be fun for me. This recovery from back injury has been tremendously difficult. I’m starting to feel that well-conditioned feeling that I love, where running is like music and where jumping on and off of things is fun.
So, after running only 1.5 miles yesterday as part of my “taking it easy” scheme, I was antsy this morning. I put my running clothes in the car and drove to work, thinking that maybe I’d run after work. Maybe I’d get onto the Beebe Lake course for an 18th attempt and see what I could do. Around 6pm with a lovely breeze, big blue sky, and poofy clouds, I dropped my backpack in my car and exchanged my sandals for my fave bright orange trail shoes. I just… took… off. It wasn’t an especially impressive time in the overall scheme of things and it’s not really the time that matters. It’s how it felt, which was like flying. (But I did knock 2 minutes off my previous best time and Adam pointed out that this seems to have moved the Fabulous 50s into the lead by 1 point.) The picture shows me back at the car.
What a spectacular summer day! Blue skies, low humidity, breezy and low 60s this am, so I thought I’d do my easy run on the nearby Beebe lake course. My sweet lab, Lola, saw me lacing up my shoes and put her head in my lap asking to come along. She is 13 years old and has been my running buddy for more than a decade, but she can’t usually do very long road runs any more. So, I decided to see if she could manage the whole thing, given the cooler temps and mix of trails (and promise of a dip in the lake at the end!)
We set off up the hill and she trotted diligently behind me, her speed and enthusiasm building at our first turn down the trail. We managed a great (easy pace) run with some toad and goose sightings, as well as tons of wildflowers.
Lola’s favorite parts were the woodland trail over to the wildflower garden and a quick dip among the lily pads at Beebe Lake.
We were both very pleased with ourselves at the end
Back home, I ate an incredible cantelope melon picked up from our CSA, washed down with a smoothie made from organic blueberries we picked at Hillberry Farms. This is the best time of year!!!
I hit the Beebe Lake Course today. I wanted to make sure I had enough run on all the courses to receive an average on each. It was 81 degrees and sucky.
I’ve enjoyed the challenge! A huge thank you to all those who organized and put in efforts to make this challenge such a success!
I stopped for gas on the way home and grabbed a chocolate milk recovery drink.
