Marathon Training Day

An early morning (for us!) start saw Katie and I heading out the door toward the back acre.  From there, it's a short walk to Sugarcreek MetroPark.  After shooing Meg back to Craig--she was determined to follow us since we usually do take her along--we stopped to introduce ourselves to one of our new neighbors.  We've been cutting through his yard, and I've felt bad about that because we had never actually asked permission.  (We had been told by our other neighbors that no one cares around here, though.)

So after chatting with him for a few minutes, we continued on our way.  We started out on the small prairie loop.  I thought it would be a nice warm up--literally!  It was cold this morning.  The prairie was beautiful in the early morning sunshine.  We shared the walk with about 10 goldfinches, a monarch, and other butterflies.  The goldenrod is just starting to come into full color; the bull thistles are a pretty lavender.  There are only a few purple asters blooming, but the ironweed is a lovely dark purple.  Add that to the various yellow prairie flowers, and it's turning into my favorite fall color combination--gold and purple.  Put that against the deep bright blue sky of fall and wow!

After the short prairie trail, we walked the green trail.  I think trail etiquette is interesting. You have to at least smile and nod at everyone; usually, though, you have to say "hi" and all of that too.  Even when you've been lapped by the same person.  Five times.  There is still the requisite acknowledgment of, "Hey."  This really translates into, "Hey. You're cool and I'm cool because we're out here exercising unlike the lazy people still at home in bed."  (If it's nighttime, then it's basically the same thing except for the last part.  Then you substitute, "lazy people at home in front of the TV.")  Never mind that I am quite frequently that "lazy person" at home.

We took the side trail off of the green trail to the Oak Camp (Ferry Rd.).  Both Katie and I like walking in new places.  We had that trail to ourselves except for one runner who passed us going the opposite direction and a person with a horse who scared us, as they were "hiding" in the woods.

After a short break at the shelter to drink and eat our Clif Bars, we walked the green trail backwards.  (And, no, I don't mean we walked backwards.  We walked the trail the opposite way we had just walked it.)  Anyway, somehow this makes walking the same trail different!   

This time we took the side trail that goes to Spring Lakes, something we haven't done before.  We really enjoyed that and walked all around the three lakes there.  It's a pretty little park that I've never visited.

I had texted Craig at some point in here and asked if he and Sarah wanted to join us for a bit.  When we reached the end of this lap, we met up with them, and then walked the green trail again.  They walked with us for a while, and then veered off on the blue trail to head home.  (Craig had to get ready for work.)

Katie and I pushed through the last tough hills on the green trail.  Whew.  It was rough there at the end, but we obviously finished it.  (I mean, what are you going to do?  Sit down in the middle of the woods, and say, "Nope, I'm done.")  Anyway, we enjoyed the singing of two cute little girls behind us.  They were singing "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus.  LOL!  Appropriately enough, we were climbing a hill at the time.

The only disappointment we had at the end was that someone had thrown away our drinks at the shelter. :(  We figured out later that there had been people picnicking there, and they probably just threw everything away when they were done.  But, anyway, the disappointment of our lost drinks was offset by the generosity of another of our new neighbors.  I haven't met them yet, but they had a sign out front offering free iris rhizomes.  There must have been 10 varieties, and she had brown paper bags out for anyone to take them!  So Katie and I picked out several different colors and finished our journey by walking through her yard into ours.

And then we were done!

I compiled a list of Katie's comments along the way. :D  They amused me greatly, so here they are:

I need an energy pack (less than one mile into walk).

The orange Gatorade makes my throat hurt.

The woolly bear's toes are cold.  (She picked it up to move it off the trail.)

My eyebrows hurt.

My tickle spot hurts (on her back).

Running makes my butt hurt.

My eyelashes are cold.

(That one was the best, I think.) 

I should add, though, that we did also talk about many other things, some of them even of substance.  I really enjoyed spending the morning with her.  :)