Driving here this morning, I had to stop my car to let two families of Canada geese and their goslings cross the road. It was adorable, and the fluffy babies reminded me of my own fluffy yellow baby (a Labrador) waiting back at home.
I had a little trouble finding the start of the course, and used the RunGo map like a compass to find my way to the Challenge sign. Once there, it as really straightforward. The directions were fantastic @adamengst and came up right when needed.
The trees just started leafing out this week, so I was taking in the verdant glory of the woods.
I’m getting over a cold and have quite a lot of phlegm in my chest and sinuses, so I welcomed the chance to see the Andy Goldsworthy sculpture and clear things out
Sapsucker woods are SO pretty right now! The foliage is the brightest shade of green. If you haven’t run this course yet, I highly recommend getting out there soon This morning was warm after heavy rain during the night and it was almost tropical. Love it.
Lovely morning after that storm last night. Improved my time using two strategies: not running 27k 2 days prior and, and this is the big one, working on my gate opening and closing skills. I figure that saved 1-2 seconds. I also listen to Adam and didn’t go into the apartments. Even if I could smell breakfast.
Note the famous egg.
First attempt at this course with @KimJ! Had to navigate some geese and their goslings right at the start and end. Didn’t make for a great total time but was a nice day to be on the trails!
Purple Rules!
Headed to Duck Trails from Hammond Hill. Hard to pass this course by when in the vicinity. The yellow flowers that lined the trail a couple weeks ago are gone, replaced by purple flowers everywhere.
I only heard a couple of woodpeckers, and there were more trilliums in bloom! The run turned into a hike with many photo stops.
Saw numerous birds that I am unable to identify. The geese family at the first pond seemed to be reduced by two goslings from a couple of weeks ago, as I only saw one gosling with the adults. Perhaps there is a well fed fox thereabouts.
Another Friday, another Duck Trails day! I encountered this group of Canada Geese with their goslings and another runner who warned me about break-ins in cars parked near the gates.
Both kids and I walked Duck Trails this morning before it got too warm. They were excited to keep their eyes open for flora and fauna they recognized from their animal books, and they can probably name more bird calls than me. It was their first Challenge course completion as registered entrants and they both had a lot of fun!
By 5 PM today, I had spent the much of the past 26 hours helping my parents move. And that was after running the 8 1/2 mile Thom B loop yesterday morning. So a short recovery run was needed, and Duck Trails was the perfect place.
Despite the forecasted heat, I still went ahead with my plan to attempt the FLRC Tough Trail Challenge today. I knew I wouldn’t get another chance for at least 3 weeks with my various other responsibilities, so today was my only chance!
I was surprised how many others I saw out and about so early, including @melissawallace (twice) holding down the fort on our home course.
I have a history of going out too strong and dying real hard by the end, to the point that my college teammates nicknamed me “General TSO” (an acronym for “Takes Sh… Out”) and that has stuck through the years, for good reason, today was no different: going out in sub-8 pace would make the rest of my day much more difficult…
Hi Folks! I am a non-runner who is working on their distance and speed for climbing ADK high peaks. I’ve climbed to the summit on 4 of 46 thus far. I enjoyed this flat, soft hikers trot on this trail! Thanks for having me
First Challenge completion for me for way too uninteresting injury reasons, but I had a nice walk with @heathercobb3. Not a duck in evidence, but we got to see this turtle, who was misguidedly laying its eggs right in the middle of the trail. Turtle Trails!
The trails at the Lab of Ornithology are great for recovery runs. This morning I was recovering from 10 hilly trail miles that I raced yesterday. I walked the first half of the course with Adam and Heather and got a photo of them with the egg, and then I ran slowly for the rest of the course.
It was a lovely morning in Sapsucker Woods. Along the way, I ran into human birding groups, a large family of geese, and a few chipmunks. The interaction that made me chuckle the most was when I was closing the gates for the second time and looking both ways for traffic (as directed by RunGo) before crossing to the main part of Sapsucker Woods.The traffic I needed to be careful of ended up being @hubitron out on his own jog down the road. He joked that crossing was like the Frogger video game and away he went, while I safely made it to the other side to then finish up the course.
Sapsucker is one of my absolute favorite places to run in Ithaca, though I do sometimes feel badly if there are birding groups about and I am doing multiple loops. Luckily this challenge course avoids the most populated birding areas. Today I did two loops and loved being serenaded by the red winged blackbirds. Currently the Jack-in-the-pulpits are blooming but be vigilant as poison ivy is ubiquitous along the edges of the trail.
Fifth and final course of my Tough Trail Challenge. The longest 2.7 miles of my life!!! LOL! Ended up being a run/walk. Great place to finish. Soft trails and plenty of shade. Many thanks to @gplwoo for putting up with me at this point!!!
I ran duck trail with @DamianClemons this afternoon. I loved it here. So peaceful and beautiful, I hope to come back. As for running, I’m not sure what my problem was but it was not my best.
Damian and I made a new friend, “Tommy Turtle” (I named him after my Uncle but I’m curious to know if he/ she has a name).
This morning was warm after heavy rain during the night and it was almost tropical. Love it.
