Photo is NOT good enough, but all I got today.
The weekend consisted of one day of active rest and one day of absolute slack other than Sexy Time, and both were great. And when you add in the Chamois Mood Tax that was enacted during the first Trump administration, that brings it down to “pretty darn not bad.”
I only needed just 2.75 miles to hit my 25-mile goal for the week, so with no club football on,1Wifey and I went out to the Hall’s Lake Nature Preserve to stomp a few low-key miles.
Once again, I was on the trail as the sun rose this morning, this time for a 5-mile “run” on my original run loop to gauge progress.
The temps were in the high 40s, and I debated on whether to wear long sleeves or not, but then I looked at my hulking body in the mirror and remembered how much sweat I put out. I stuck with the short sleeves.
After Thursday’s Day of Slack, I was looking forward to returning to the woods for some miles on Friday morning.
My plan was a longer lumber (no running) in an attempt to make up for some miles missed on Thursday and also set up Saturday’s final lumber/run of the week as a short one so I can get it done and back home for breakfast (coffee and a Big as Your Head homemade breakfast burrito) and Premier League footy, as well as avoid the weekend dog shitters, river tubers, and Labor Day Weekend Laborers.
I’m pretty sure I did it.
The rest did wonders for my legs, and some of the little aches and pains I felt Thursday were now gone, and despite the continued high humidity, I got 7.28 miles on my feetz and took a few photos along the way.
I was happy to get back to some longer hikes, and today’s marked my longest lumber since a 7-miler back in March. That was a real indication of how this summer’s injuries set me back. Having said that, I was doing 6-mile hikes pretty consistently and getting 30 miles a week for a good couple of months. I was also happy because when I made it back to Escape II at the trailhead, I felt like I could have kept on going, only I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and my gut was telling me it was egg and toast time.
***
Obviously, you didn’t love grammar; it’s Deerz.
Actually, I should have said those injuries set me forward because those same injuries also motivated me to start running more consistently, and as a result, I feel better than I have in years, both physically and mentally. Mostly physically.
Only 2.27 miles are between me and this week’s 25-mile goal.
NOTE: For today’s hike I took the Nikon z50 and the Nikon Z mount 28mm f2.8 (42-ish MM on the z50). I want to like this lens, but I can’t say I do. At least on the z50.
Later.
I rebounded from yesterday’s hot and humid “run” nicely and was eager to get into the woods this morning for some photo creeping and lumbering.
But first, I had to wait for Ma Nature to stop the thunderstorms as well as for it to get light out.
Pretend these tacos are deer.
A weekend photo creep never materialized due to not caring, outdoor chores that needed choring, and too much footy to watch. Such is life.
After a week or two of incredible late summer weather with temps in the 70s and cold nights, summer’s back in a big way, and the heat and humidity are crazy, especially for chubby Michiganderburghers who dig doing shit outdoors such as myself.
Heat or no heat, a lumber/run was on tap for Monday morning on my standard 5-mile loop, and I was fully prepared to suffer; I mean, the worst that could happen is that I kill over in a heap of gelatinous beer-scented flesh, and I think most people, including myself, would probably welcome that.
3.61 miles were all that stood between me and hitting my 25-mile weekly goal in four days, and I was intent on not doing much more than was required today.
I felt well enough during the morning’s lumber/run and THOUGHT I was pushing the pace a bit, given that I was only doing a short loop, but it turns out I was not.
After a mug of coffee and saying goodbye to Wifey, who was taking advantage of her use-it-or lose-it vacation days and leaving for Pennsylvania to visit her dad, I headed out for my non-runners version of running.
The morning air was downright cold for August, hovering right around 48˚ with not a cloud in the sky. Downright cold, yes, but also downright perfect for a sun-loving, big-boned person such as myself.
After a successful Monday morning doing my best interpretation of trail running for 5 miles, I wanted to do something slower on Tuesday, as well as get some time with my camera.
I chose to go to the Bundy Hill Preserve, the highest point in the county, coming in at a whopping 1,270 feet above sea level. It’s no mountain, that’s for sure, but it’s a beautiful wooded area, and its location is along a very rural gravel road that I often frequented on my bike due to the series of climbs on it.
I was recently thinking (I know, I know, I shouldn’t) about this whole lumbering thing I’ve been doing for the past two years, which has sometimes morphed into attempts at trail running, especially recently, and why I have been enjoying it despite not being good at it.
