I once again got all the way to the trail head and realized I forgot my shoes. Recently I had been trying to be a Responsible Adult™️ and clean my car out after every run, but I had left my shoes in there for so long that I forget I take them out and just assume they’re in my car.
Either way, it wasn’t a long drive back to my apartment, just annoying. I parked on Weber Street to avoid the longer walk from street parking in Dryden, and ran northwest to the start sign, then back past my car in the usual direction. Once again saw a ton of wildlife, from various birds (cardinals, an oriole, flickers - my favorite bird), a snake, a big frog, Schug the bald eagle, and a turtle. I had hoped I would catch some turtles hatching, but there were so many holes with turtle shells around them, I think I missed them again this year.
What a gorgeous trail! This was my first time on it (other than the leg by the lake for the women’s distance festival) and it felt like I was on vacation! Reminded me of a bike path/running route in Cape Cod that I love. I saw so many animals, highlights being a bald eagle wrestling with a 2-3’ carp (some kind birders let me use their binoculars to take a look), and a family of merganser ducks with 8 little babies, all mohawked and quacking! I also saw a baby rabbit the size of a chipmunk, and nearly stepped on several chipmunks as well.
On my way back, I stopped ad Bigsby Market for some fresh local strawberries, rhubarb, garlic scapes, and perennials. Can’t wait for dinner tonight, and to see the lupine and delphinium bloom this summer!
A lovely day for a fast run. And during my warm down I noticed a crowd of people a few streets away from Agway. Much to my surprise Dryden is hosting a festival. There was the cow day run and lots of little contests and sweet things to do, especially with little children. It’s in the park behind the Dryden hotel.
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Make sure you get some cheese from the dairy princesses!
Today is Dryden Dairy Days! I went to Dryden High and had to march in the parade for band every year. You knew when the school year was winding down because the last few weeks we’d be out in the back parking lot marching around practicing.
We also marched in the Memorial Day parade, but Dairy Days was more fun because we got to wear fun clothes and play fun songs.
It was HOT and the bugs were definitely having a party out there but I was glad to see the trail and the lake with the sun, since last time it was a bit rainy.
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As it is tradition, the run ended with pizza and beer at the Dryden Hotel! Some people also had ice cream cause… why not?! Your Italian friend totally approves!
Felt fine running out with @brian-lazzaro, @Dave_K, @JoshB, and @Banyan_Tree for the four miles out, and even for a mile after turning, and then the heat got to me. Josh and I dropped back a bit behind Dave and Brian, and Banyan is getting his legs back after mountain biking. By the time I made it back to the finish, I was feeling pretty rough. Happily, we’d packed the extra watermelon left over from Sunday’s group run and then…
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@tonya-engst went across the street to the trophy/ice cream shop and returned with two scoops of strawberry and dark chocolate that revived me. Put me down for Team Ice Cream with @Benedetta_Carnaghi.
And then we headed over to the Dryden Hotel for pizza and beer and good company. Among the discussions: Is it better to power walk up a super steep hill in a race rather than running? Is even a tiny lollipop course better than a straight out-and-back course? How can you get students to turn on their cameras during class Zooms? Does epigenetics play a role in insect phenotypes? Apparently not. Learn something every day. Similarly, thanks to @mtread, I learned that the US Patent & Trademark Office is the only self-funded (through filing fees) department in the US government, thanks in large part to handling 400,000 patents per year.
A good evening for a stroll on the trail. Got into a verbal altercation with the owner of an off leash dog. Saw deer, heard lots of birds, a garter snake was sunning itself on the trail, and there a few equestrians out for a stroll as well.
Although cliche I read a quote yesterday that went something like this: you dont need motivation to get started, you have to get started to find motivation and that was just what I needed to get back to my challenge goals. I picked the Jim Schug trail because it is close to home and a few of my friends were planning on biking there this evening so I knew that watching for them and seeing them would give me something to look forward to on this hot evening run. I haven’t run 8 miles in a while so I decided to walk miles 4 and 7 so that I could preserve my legs and that plan payed off.
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Finished the run and rewarded myself with a carmel chocolate swirl ice cream with chocolate sprinkles from The Station Creamery, it hit the spot!
Another wildlife-filled power hike. Chipmunks, a fox, a few herons (or maybe the same one multiple times?),a deer, Schug the bald eagle, and a beaver!
I had actually passed this section but thought I had seen a bird on a log, so doubled back. There was no bird, and happened to look down and see this manatee-looking rodent under the water. Such luck!
The only reason I went out this evening was a promise to get myself a milkshake from the Station Creamery. I had parked at the Weber St. crossing and headed south first. When I went back to the start, I bought the milkshake and enjoyed a lesuirely half mile stroll back to the car to officially “cover the ground”.
Kris and I ran the Jim Schug together this morning, at least for a while, until she took off. This was her second run through, my first. It was the last course I needed to finish the Challenge, so yay! I found it a bit of a slog, but that was me feeling tired, not the course, which is beautiful!
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On the way back we filled up with gas at Mirabito near Bixby’s Market. Does that count?
chose a HOT day to run the Jim Schug Trail again! Saw a Great Blue Heron twice -flying over the lake when we were running out, and wading in the lake when we were running back
after the run, we got take-out from the pizza shop then drove back into Ithaca and had a picnic at the Farmers Market, in the shade and watching the inlet
I could not leave Ithaca without one last run on the Jim Schug Trail, so thanks to the ladies who kept me company tonight, Lori, @caroline-brockner, @mtread and her friend
Lots of wildlife sighting as always!
When we got to the lake, we saw from afar what really looked like a bald eagle:
However, my friend the beaver keeps being elusive and camera-shy as ever. Lori’s husband who was on a bike told us that he had seen the beaver swimming loops near his dam but when we got there, he did not have the courtesy to come out of the water and pose for a farewell picture…
I’m trying to beat the heat with these longer runs, so I planned on an early morning venture to Dryden. I decided to stop in at work on my way there to get a jump on some lab work (load it, forget it, let the machine do the work) yet still made it to the trail head by 6:30 am.
I’ll spare you most of the details, but here’s the text I sent to my husband:
“Done. Headed back to the car. Wish I would have ventured to the park at Dryden Lake on my way out instead of worrying about pooping my pants and scouting out areas to hide in the bushes for 4 miles.
Disaster averted!”
FYI, there are bathrooms in the park!
I didn’t see any exotic animals (no lions, tigers, or bears), just the usual chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits.
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Back to the lab to keep pushing through the lab work. I grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the Dairy Bar.
Today was just a miserably hot day, so after the group run I took a gloriously long nap and headed out at 9pm. Usually I see a ton of wildlife, but it being pitch black there weren’t many of the usual suspects. I was hoping for some dive-bombing bats, but instead had plenty of moths around my headlamp. Numerous bullfrogs sang their songs, and saw a few hummingbird moths.
The headlamp reflects off all the spider eyes and brings back memories of being delirious during the tail end of an ultra and making up stories with my pacer about the spiders hanging under plant leaves being aliens.
This was great training for any racing I’ll have to do in the dark in the future.
As I was starting I saw another runner with a headlamp headed the opposite directions and shouted a loud greeting - if you’re reading this I hope I didn’t scare you!
Still warm, but much better than 95° and a cloudless sky.
With the exception of the heat, what with one thing and another, today was the most logical day for me to do this run. This was my ninth Challenge course, leaving only Lick Brook/Treman for when I am (hopefully) as fit as possible in a few weeks.
I tried to get up early and I was ready to run at 8:15, which is early for me on a Sunday, but it was not early enough to beat the heat. I had a tough and overheated run, even though I had a good giggle at the warning sign posted near where I parked.
I left my car in the parking area at the intersection of the trail with Keith Road, because I wanted a midpoint water stop. That turned out to be a good choice. Starting out, the trail looked cool and inviting.
Unfortunately, the heat got to me within the first mile and I just couldn’t sink into some sort of sweaty groove and enjoy myself, though I did enjoy the views of Dryden Lake.
Back at the car around 5 miles, I wiped my face with a wet towel, poured water over my head without getting my legs wet (no chaffing today!), and had a drink. I also popped in an AirPod, hoping that some tunes would ease my way. The music did help, but this course was much harder than I had expected and I do run on it most weeks, usually just 4 or 5 miles, but I had a wonderful 6+ miler on it recently, though at a cooler temperature. If there is time before the end of the Challenge, I will try again for a better time.
and the bugs were definitely having a party out there but I was glad to see the trail and the lake with the sun, since last time it was a bit rainy.
