Thursday, August 27, 2009

Describe a quiet Lake

Placid serenity, interrupted by a sweaty old guy.

No one was out today - the weather turned overcast and while warm, had a feel of fall to it. Before I left for the workout, I received an IM from my friend John - not the "Stair Master", this John is the "Aviator" and was hoping to meet me out here but was unable to. I offered to do stairs for him.

As I arrive, one car was parked on the boat ramp road - a white haired lady is sitting at a lone picnic table looking after her rather portly beagle-mix dog tottering through the field. I stretch my calfs and shins as the dog wonders about intermittently interested and disinterested with his surroundings. Hitting the "start" button on my Garmin I began my run. After taking notice of me, the dog makes a half-hearted chase, but although I was something new, I was quickly placed in the "not that interesting" category. Wrapping around to the south and started back along the trail to the waters edge, I notice the lady had packed her dog into her minivan and began to leave. I was alone.

Past the boat launch, the wooden floating walkway thumps loudly with my foot falls. I'm usually concerned that I might be scaring away fish, but no one is here. The ducks sunning themselves in the overcast on the walkway do not approve and appear exasperated as they hustle into the lagoon to the left - Lilly pads abound and a Great Blue Heron is often seen standing on the branch of a semi-submerged fallen tree. To the right the Lilly pads give way to Lake Fenwick proper which looks particularly dark green and calm today.

A little further on I am back on a trail - this one is not dirt, but mostly gravel. So far the path is level but I know that a more strenuous portion is just ahead. Arriving at the field in front of the park's main lot, the brown grass crunches dryly underfoot as I run uphill for 50 yards. My heart rate is not ramping up anywhere near as quickly as yesterday. *note to self: eating 3 or more hours before exercise is best. Once across, the trail returns and I am engulfed in a tunnel of forest, more gravel trail, but it is slowly giving way to normal trail dirt. as it does the terrain becomes much more varied with hills and slopes. Still running, I adapt my pace to the differing path.

I approach the North parking lot and run around the perimeter taking advantage of the asphalt to increase the distance of my run by 1/10th of a mile - now comes the hill. The wide gravel path, one long switchback, winds it's way south along the other side of the lake and up we go. My heart rate is elevating nicely now in the 150s and my breathing cadence which was 3/4 time now is cut time. the switchback levels a bit and I am pleased to note that my pulse slows by ten BPM while still running. At the end of the switchback, the trail elevation raises very quickly and my lower pulse respite is only a memory as I am now flirting with the mid 160s. I will not slow and my legs move with purpose through the trail-steps, a few of these require a significant effort to traverse. I could run around them but they are put there to test me and I must defeat them! I could stop at the last stair - as I've done before, but I will not be tamed and I run until I reach the bench placed at the corner for lesser being to rest after their ordeal. The lake is now to my back and as I walk to Hell's Stairway I still have not seen another soul on the trail.

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