Training Log Archive: GlenT

Event: EMPO - Five Rivers Environmental Educ. Center
 

Red course at EMPO local event at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. More of a long orange course, since that's all the map will allow. Plus I've set courses here a few times and revised the map a couple of years ago, adding a few of the features which were used as control sites today. Lots of trail running and not very much climb but plenty of effort needed to cross the rough open areas. Overcast and quite muggy. Rained after I was done. Actual distance covered was 7.8km per the Forerunner.

Control pickup at Five Rivers. Ran/jogged most of the time, which got interesting by the time I had a jug of water and trash from a water stop, three epunch stands and a bag of control flags. Raining lightly, but fairly warm. Mostly on trails. Distance is Forerunner distance - I didn't run sub-10 min/km picking up controls!

Running the chainsaw cutting up a couple of trees which came down in a "locally heavy" thunderstorm last Thursday. One hickory which has been dead for quite some time and a cherry which was still alive - both good (free) firewood. The hickory is about 24" in diameter and I'm still about 12' from the base - may not go any further. Not sure this really counts as training, other than good practice sweating (it was sunny and 80's). Actual time was about 2.5hrs and included moving the cut pieces into a somewhat organized pile.

Hand Hollow Preserve from the (newly opened) upper parking lot. Ran the full length of the main trail and back plus an extra loop up near the pond. Low 80's but felt cooler in the woods.

AOWN: Heron's nest. Mom (or dad) was at the nest and there was baby bird activity in the nest. Couldn't see the little one(s) very well since I obeyed the signs to stay back 1000 feet and didn't have binoculars. Apparently one of the few heron rookeries in the area. Cool.

Trails at Sutherland Pond (Ooms Conservation Area). Mostly on trails in open fields. They mow the trails, but the grass was 4 - 5" tall so I had to lift my feet just a bit more than usual for a trail run - good O-training but I could feel the extra effort. Only about 0.3 miles of the run was in the woods. Very nice area recently made publicly accessible thanks to the Columbia Land Conservancy, the Open Space Institute and generous former landowners. Gorgeous day - 75, sunny with a breeze.

AOWN: A painted turtle crossing the trail, a pair of swans on the pond and lots of other birds. Also could hear a bullfrog near where we parked.