Moss

Report:
Was aiming for 10 miles and came in a quarter mile shy. Not too bad. Was slower than expected but it was still a good run/walk. Saw about 5 deer, 2 turkeys, lots of birds, and some slippery moss.

What I left out of my original post on DailyMile was that I did some bushwhacking on my run yesterday. As I came off the beach, I noticed some oddly placed tree trunks on the ground. It looked too man-made to be natural tree fall so I did some heavy staring and studying. I knew it was on the slope leading up to a ridge that I had come down from shortly before but I wasn't sure if I could make it back to the trail if I went up the hill. So I ran back up to the top of the hill where I had planned on going back for more exploration. The park put in some new septic systems and pumps so I thought I'd go be nosy. Turns out that the access road that leads down the hill to the electrical systems for the pumps comes to a general end. At least for the gravel. The trees are cleared down to the bottom as I found out. And those trees on the ground in the man-made pattern were there for erosion control. Kind of reminded me of Donkey Kong. Anyway, I carefully made my way down the hill back to where I originally started to think about going off trail. No wild adventures like I feared and nothing too crazy like some other people I know but it sure as heck put a smile on my face.



If you looks closely at my shadow, it looks like I have horns:

Learning to get comfortable with selfies thanks to Lauren:

Really cool shadows in the morning:

I'm so strong, I knocked over this tree. Well, not really but the shadows on the roots look cool:

Stumping for attention:

Some bird porn for my mother:

One last selfie before I started to bushwhack:

Weather:
Temps started around 35F but quickly warmed to about 45F. Sky was clear and the sun was out. There was a slight breeze but it was mostly down by the river. Some of the boardwalks had a smidge of frost on them.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was a bean burrito, yogurt, and iced coffee. During the run I had plain water in my hydration pack, a bottle of Hammer Fizz, a bottle of Hammer Perpeteum, and a Hammer Gel (taken at mile 5). Recovery was Hammer Recoverite and an iced coffee followed by leftovers for lunch.

Aches and Pains:
None really. Just tired.

Gear:
Wore thermal top with long sleeve shirt over it. Wore a windbreaker for the first 2 miles. Wore pants over shorts. Wore hat and gloves. After 2 miles I ditched the hat for a light headband. Wore gaiters, my hydration pack, and sunglasses.

Codename - Moss
Turns out wet, partly frosty moss is slippery. And skid marks on said moss could mean it is slicker than it looks. Thankfully I put some fat on my ass over the holidays and was able to easily absorb the fall.

Splits:
Too lazy to look them up.
Finish - 2:35:35