Scarlet Tanager

Today I went running up at Raccoon Creek State Park. I decided to run the Eastern Loop twice - once Clockwise and the other Counter Clockwise. It would give me 19 miles of good trail running. I decided to do two loops of the Eastern Loop instead of the loop of the whole park. The western part of the trails are not as hilly and in places the trail is covered in weeds and briers and is often very muddy in places.

I felt very good throughout the run but did start to tire a little at the end. The trail was the most crowded that I have ever seen it. On my return lap I ran into eight hikers in five different groups. Previously I had never seen more then three people. The amazing thing about this run was my split times. I ended up doing the first lap in 1:541.16 and the second one in the other direction in 1:54.23 - only 7 seconds apart.

I also saw a bird that I had never seen before. As I was running through a stand of old pines, something red fly past my face. It was almost close enough to reach out and touch. I thought that it was a Cardinal but when it landed I saw that it was too small to be a Cardinal plus it had black wings. It was a Scarlet Tanager. I had seen photos of them before and knew that they were in this area but I never expected to see one. It is a very beautiful bird and wasn't very afraid of me. I was able to walk within ten feet of the tree that it was on before it flew away.

Sometimes It Just Isn't Your Day

Sometimes things just doesn't go right. This morning after just returning from our training at VA Beach, I couldn't wait to ride my bike to work. I have been riding it pretty regular at least 2 - 3 times a week to work. I got dressed and went in the garage ready to ride. As soon as I walked up to the bike the back tire went flat right before my eyes. I quickly pulled the tube out and patched it up and put it back in. I told my wife that I was leaving and to standby the phone - just in case. I only made in a mile and a half when it went flat again. Another sign that things just wasn't going to work out for me was that I had slowed down real slow to ride through this grassy area when my chain slipped off the lower ring. Anyone who rides knows, when you stop going forward you had be unclip fast. I wasn't fast enough and tipped over. That was pretty embarrassing but not as embarrassing as sitting on the side of the road waiting on your wife to pick you up. It just wasn't meant to be so I ended up driving.

Run to VA Beach

Today I ran from Dam Neck to VA Beach. It was a total of 16 miles - six to VA Beach, two along the Boardwalk, and back again. The run was good and I had plenty of energy. I ran on a MUP that ran all the way to the Boardwalk. Most of the run was on a paved path but some was on concrete and my legs are feeling it. It's good to know that I can still finish a 16 miler. I need some more time to prepare for the 18 mile trail run coming up in June but I should be okay with at least one more long run. I'll probably do a 20 at Raccoon Creek State Park.

Dam Neck

We are having our annual Retention Training with includes a Ball in Dress Blues. The best part is that it is at Virginia Beach and I have some time to catch up on my running and cycling. Today I had a great run. We are staying at Dam Neck Navy Base, which is right on the beach. I ran the length of the base to the South Gate, turned left to the beach and ran the 2.5 miles along the beach back to Lodging for a five mile run. The weather was perfect for running - cloudy with the temperature cool at 64 degrees.