Was happy to get run in before the heat of the day. trail was surprisingly dry other than a few random puddles that were easily avoided. I really like the new bridge @Dirk_Swart showed in his most recent post.
Technology on the other hand was a problem. Watch didn’t start properly and then phone died before end of run so no pictures.
link to partial tracking (after i properly started watch)
https://strava.app.link/Gi06feGohLb
30 seconds too slow - or how I turned a mundane run into an adventure
Originally, had wanted to run the Treman Trailipop but work and life precluded that - as did the threat of nasty weather. So I settled for another go at this course, though I wasn’t sure I could make it after a long day at the office. It was a toss-up as to which felt heavier - the humidity or my legs. One thing nice about this course - there are several ways to cut it short…
For variety, I decided to run it backwards. I was wondering how having a long gradual down to finish would feel after the long gradual up along Fall Creek. Plus, this would get the most exposed parts of the course done while the weather was still decent. I could see storm clouds in the distance, and hear the occasional peal of thunder, but both seemed to be staying to the north.
I don’t if it was my mood, or the weather, or the combination of the two, but the first part of the run was strangely quiet. There were only a couple of cyclists passing as I started on the trail, and only 3 cars going by on Game Farm(I did note that the shoulder of the road was much less runner friendly going this way) and one lone runner passing on the grassy stretch into the Arboretum…perhaps a fellow Challenger, but I’ll never know. It felt it was just me and the humidity, so much so that I had to take my running hat off to get some cooling.
As I descended down toward the stream, there was a noticeable drop in temperature as the clouds began to build in and obscure the sun. Sadly, this was also a cue for the bugs to pick up - so back on went the hat. The combination of the two did seem to lighten the load on my legs and I picked up the pace. All too soon I was over the bridge and through my favorite part of the course - the wooded stretch on the north side of the creek - and onto my least favorite part, the seemingly endless pair of fields. The thunder seemed to be nearer and more frequent, but I didn’t see lightning or feel rain, so I kept going.
Crossing the bridge into Varna, I wistfully looked up the road to the trail crossing up the hill, promising myself I would be there soon. And indeed I was - but the weather was definitely starting to change. As I climbed toward the rail trail, I resisted the urge to take the shortcut first turn off and instead stayed the course to the top. As I turned onto the Dryden Rail Trail, I was surprised to see a couple of lightly dressed hikers heading out; I guess they were feeling lucky. I was keeping my fingers crossed …
As I crossed Mt. Pleasant Road, I looked back down at the bridge thinking “Yep, made it” and in the process, noticed a cyclist I had seen earlier heading out on their way back in. I made a game out of how far I could get before I was caught, and was surprised that I made it past the new construction and almost to the edge of the solar farm before I was caught - and by then, the game had shifted. Having run this stretch for years, I knew where it was 7 minutes to the car, then 6, then 5, then…
As I came into the final clear stretch, hoping to stay dry for another 2 minutes, I could see the curtain of rain to the west moving in… and it became a race, albeit one in slow motion. I :almost: won, but about 30 seconds before I got to the car the rain began in earnest. I had my keys out, so was able to jump in quickly, and thus was more sweat-soaked than rain-dampened when I plopped into the seat. In other circumstances I would have run through the rain as a cooling shower but dinner was waiting …
Strava link - though the GPS didn’t pickup until well into the run…
https://www.strava.com/activities/11973706262
My 10 year old @natalie and I did this course together this morning. It’s one of my favorites and I was so happy to run it with her. We celebrated afterwards with some ice cream- perfect for a hot and humid day!
The fox and the tortoise
Needed to get long run in early this week so took advantage of slow afternoon and slipped out. Had a good quiet run, but noted that there were numerous puddles on the trail that were soon to be mosquito breeding ponds, but not yet. I just waded through like a good tortoise…
discovered later that watch didn’t pick up GPS till halfway through but here is link anyhow
https://strava.app.link/jJkGGbU2VLb
They have just mowed the fields again, so the grass is nice and short, no Queen Anne’s lace. So if you have been holding off, now is the time.
Black Hole
This is my favorite Challenge course this year but the Cornell Arboretum is a black hole. My time slows way down through this stretch - just too many distractions, no matter the season or weather. I ran the course in the normal counter clockwise direction this time but after crossing the suspension bridge and climbing the stairs, I pretty much strolled my way through the arboretum until I got near the horse barn. Some new blooms among the many interesting plants there:
I saw a great blue heron take off from Fall Creek as I was crossing the suspension bridge. I took a small side trip to explore alongside the creek. I saw this pattern several times in the rock on shore:
The horses were out and one looked like he was having as much fun as me!
I ran this course with the group to kick off the Challenge back in April but hadn’t been back since! Though it would be some nice symmetry to begin and end the Challenge on this course, I noticed earlier this week that my total mileage was 92.6, so close to a big round number. I set a goal for myself to run 100 challenge miles before the end. Now I’m up to 97.6 and plan to finish out my summer on Duck Trails later this weekend.
On the final day of the Challenge I had yet to run two courses hard (or at least moderately hard): FH Fox and Lindsay-Parsons. I also started the day 5th in overall points, and I would like to finish on the podium and get my name on the front page of the leaderboard.
I started with FH Fox because I thought that would be easier on my legs than Lindsay-Parsons. I ran by feel and ended up running fairly even splits for the first four miles before speeding up at the end. (6:42, 6:50, 6:51, 6:51, 6:26). A side stitch threatened to slow me down when I turned on to Game Farm Road but I was able to work through it. I improved my score from 79 to 93 points and finished feeling good.
Next up, Lindsay-Parsons.
