Tag Archives | unsolicited opinion

Failed Creeps & Hot Runs

By soiledchamois on August 26, 2024 in Outdoors

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.

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The Art of Polishing Excrement

By soiledchamois on August 23, 2024 in Outdoors

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.

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Something Old & Something New

By soiledchamois on August 22, 2024 in Outdoors

My plan for Thursday was a morning hike at the trails surrounding the Mid Michigan Community College, about 25 minutes north of town.

I can’t remember the last time I rode my bike there, but I think it might have been 2020 or 21, and I am certain that I never hiked or lumbered there (walking a busted derailleur out doesn’t count). I have cross-country skied, and snowshoed there, but those are different beasts for a different time of year. So, this was all new to me.

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Little Victories

By soiledchamois on August 21, 2024 in Outdoors

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.

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The Bundy Hill Volleyball Scene

By soiledchamois on August 20, 2024 in Outdoors

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.

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Making More Progress

By soiledchamois on August 20, 2024 in Outdoors

In my mind I planned to get out for a short lumber with my camera over the weekend, but it never really materialized.

Some of that was due to the fact that I had already hit my weekly mileage goal and lacked motivation, but the main issue was the fact that I was balls deep into the kickoff of the 2024/25 Premier League season (Nerd!). That means early weekend mornings filled with copious amounts of coffee and a big-as-your-head breakfast burrito and then an afternoon spent enjoying adult beverages and listening to music as I catch up on the rest of the European football action. Good times…. good times.

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Thinking & A Friday Run

By soiledchamois on August 16, 2024 in Outdoors

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.

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No Sleep & Slow Miles

By soiledchamois on August 15, 2024 in Outdoors

I was eager for a lumber at Deerfield on Thursday morning and was in bed Wednesday night just as the sun set.

Sadly, I was wide awake about 4 hours later and would remain so for hours before briefly falling asleep and dreaming about legs covered in mosquito bites that I squeezed like pimples and orange centipede-like worms came out. Needless to say, I passed on breakfast. And I almost thought about passing on the hike.

I did not.

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A New Loop & Improvements

By soiledchamois on August 14, 2024 in Outdoors

It was nice to return to the Hall’s Lake Natural Area for a hike in the woods on Tuesday, and it did wonders to improve my mood as well as help get my creative juices flowing despite not seeing much to photograph.

I was also eager to get back to running¹ on Wednesday and mapped out a new 5-mile on-the-nose course using Mapmyride.com. Apparently, they don’t discriminate against you if don’t plan on riding a bike.

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Morning Moods & Miles

By soiledchamois on August 13, 2024 in Outdoors

I felt good physically after Monday morning’s lumber/run (runber?), and in a perfect world, I would do the same thing again Tuesday, especially since the mood I was in at 6:00 AM called for intense flogging and punishment for unknown reasons, although I have a feeling that it has something to do with still being alive. But it also could have been gas.

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