Training Log Archive: Swampfox

I ran in the snow this afternoon (just like yesterday, except yesterday it was snowing.) I don't know for sure what the actual Possum Trot conditions were (though cool in the caverns, yesterday?), but I can be pretty sure there was 1) less snow than what I had, positively offset by the fact that there would undoubtedly be 2) many, many more thorns. Possum Trot without thorns would be like pizza without crust, sauce and delicate cheeses.

There may be people out there who somehow see this and wonder: "Wow, is this yet *another* thing we need to worry about, like ebola, mass shootings by armed white men, global warming/sea rise, and a caravan down in Mexico?"

No. This is not another thing deserving of even a second of worry. There will always be thorns at Possum Trot, as long as the sun rises to the east and the moon sets to the west, and Sweet sings "Love is Like Oxygen."

The thermometers at the various official weather sites seem to be broken; both yesterday and today whenever I checked, they said "teens, or low teens", yet it felt at least twice as warm as that.

Most trails at Happy Jack were rolled this afternoon, for the first time this season. Lots of ski tracks, but I am going to wait until more snow shows up.

C • Sweet 2

C • ski trails 2

C • Trot conditions 2

Sunny day, light breeze, and unusually mild out--at least 40F, and maybe warmer than that. It felt warmer, at least, and reminded me totally of spring, except that the snow drifts were soft and not compact, so you couldn't run across the tops without sinking all the way to the ground. Mixture of dry ground, muddy ground, scattered now patches, and the occasional drift areas.

Ran a middle distance type course front and back, starting out going backwards, and moving from right to left from the broadcast booth, and then reversing directions. (Do you ever wonder why broadcasters inform the listeners which way a team is moving relative to where they (the broadcasters) are sitting?)

Excellent outing from all standpoints, especially the one where no hunters shot at me. In all truth, I haven't seen a single hunter on foot this hunting season, and for all I know, the season has been concluded.

Ran down the Golden Road tonight, which was hard to see because of the snow, even as it wasn't hard to see, because of the snow.

Don't come across many runners out there on that particular trail, particularly at night. And yet tonight I ran across two, who oddly enough, were looking for a mule with a (their) little black dog. True story.

C • True story 2

Intervals on my favorite stretch of dirt road, today half clad in several inches of snow. I wasn't expecting the snow, thinking it would have mostly melted off the dirt roads and that pickup traffic would have compacted the rest. I was surprised so much snow was left, but even more surprised by the fact there had been no recent traffic on this particular road.

It wasn't ideal for covering long distances quickly, but it was fine enough for raising the pulse. Never mind that it's not as if I cover long distances quickly even when conditions are ideal.

10 x 5 minutes. Shoes were black with electric orange trim, with soles.

There were almost no moose.

Late afternoon/early evening run up top on snow trails. Estimated mid-20s, maybe lower, and it felt very pleasant and almost mild--at least by way of comparison with several more recent days. 1/3 visible moon gave plenty of light. Saw 2 runners, several dogs, and no skiers--even though a bus was parked in the parking lot with several dozen ski bags scattered on the snow at the trail head. Maybe cannibals got them all, maybe not. Probably not.

Of course the reason for it feeling so benign was a near absence of any detectable wind. These conditions can give rise to wild fantasies, not of debauchery, but of no wind. Of course that would leave the wind farms with little to do. Perhaps they could retrofit and become plump blueberry farms, or catfish houseries. There must be something. In the meantime, the winds will be back soon enough, and resume their work of blowing off all of Wyoming's fines to some eastward location. The average statewide soil depth is less than 1/2 inch. It wouldn't even be that much except that some coffee drinkers insist on scattering their coffee grounds in their yards.

2F after daybreak this morning, so somewhat colder, and with ice fog producing some amount of snow. Wonder if there will be any signs of grooming activity at Happy Jack this afternoon? I will guess not, and will hope to be wrong. After yesterday, there has to be enough snow.

Cool running on the snow trails, single digits + some decent breeze and drifting snow. Enough moon to see and be seen.