Training Log Archive: PG

From Chard Pond up Gunn Cross and Gunn Mountain roads, and back. Both jeep roads. Neither on anyone's list of places to go walk or hike, so I saw just one group of 3, friendly but keeping their distance, as was I.

Walked the one steeper section, about 1:40, jogged the rest. Certainly easier on the return trip. Even got one of Gunn's cows to run along next to me for a bit. :-)

Jackson Hill Road. Legs were a bit weary to start (would have preferred to be heading off into napland), but that passed. Lovely afternoon. Minor fail on the gloves -- brought two lefts, one of them a bike glove without full fingers. But I had a jacket on with pockets.

C • Gloves 5

Outing with Phil up in the hills, a modest loop from Davenport's farm --normally this time of year a very popular spot for breakfast/brunch featuring their own maple syrup, good with most anything, but then nothing is normal now and they are closed. We drove up there separately, because, again, nothing is normal. Though it needs to be said that one thing was normal -- that it was great to be outside and working up a sweat and having good company to do it with.

Though of course we kept our distance.

First up was up to the tower on Massaemett, alternatively Bald Mountain on some maps, which Phil ran and I mostly walked but ran some. Then north along the ridge, a piece of trail I'd never been on, other than that not a whole lot to recommend it today as it was rather wet. But in the process of trying to keep my feet dry, only marginally successful, it seems I ran the couple of modest hills. And then the last hill, out the High Ledges access trail, ran that too despite deciding a least a couple of times that it was time to walk. So definitely progress. And if I look back over the last six months, major progress.

The rest was mostly down, just cruising and enjoying it.

It's outings like this that are keeping me sane.

Pine Nook Road. Got passed by about 6 vehicles, more than usual.

Finally managed to get out for a run just before dinner after several hours wandering around the oxbows in Deerfield in my wonderful boots, the fact that there was mud everywhere was no problem. Also after a nap.

Always on the lookout for critters, and they're there, just got to find them. A turkey, the wild kind, not the Thanksgiving kind, made an appearance, also a tiny Tree Sparrow.





The latter would just be an appetizer for the former, except I think the turkey is a vegetarian, not sure.

Didn't see a mink, but the best way to see a mink apparently is to be driving on 116 to Amherst right when the mink decides to cross the road. Would have tried to get a photo, but that was last week when there was still traffic.

Anyway, out for a short run, and as has happened many times in the past, I used a recent outing of Phil's as inspiration. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's not the first time that by "inspiration" what I really mean is negative inspiration, ie. just try to not do what Phil did. And what Phil did yesterday can easily be summed up -- run hard and fall.

I saw no need for either.

So I moseyed along until my Garmin beeped for one mile, and then I moseyed back. Perfect.

Jackson Hill Road.

South Sugarloaf twice. First time up the steep trail, down the north side trail, back the low trail. Second time up the steep trail, down the road. Good hard effort up the first time, second time a more moderate effort (may have been all that was possible). When I was done, legs felt like they had done some work.

No falls (or trips). :-)

These ventures into running the last few months have often been the highlight of my day. It's not hard to look forward to an outing when it's only 2 or 3 miles. This one felt hard. But still way easier than stuff I used to do.

And so glad to be doing this, really good for morale.

Mt. Warner loop. Ran the whole thing though walking parts would be just as fast. Saw several groups (average size about 3), all were friendly. On a normal weekday I'd be surprised to see anyone.