The Laryngitis Wheezing 5

First run since I got sick the other day.  I'm not running fever but my sinuses are clogged and I have laryngitis.  The run was ok except for the wheezing death rattle.  The run was 47:57 at 9:36 a mile.  Not bad really.  The legs and stamina were fine.  Will have to keep monitoring the other condition.  Took some Bluet pictures since they're blooming everywhere in the open fields now.

toadshade

The Rainy Late Winter 5 Miler

I did a pretty decent tempo run today that indicated I was tightening up in my training.  It had a little zap to it, energy wise, even though it wasn't the best time - 48:48 at 9:46 per mile.  Not much birding besides Robins still flocking in the yards and fields.  Heard one in my yard today chirping its mating call so maybe they'll quit ganging up and settle down to some responsible family life.

toadshade

The Snowflake 3 Miler

Lily of the Valley
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Ran across these beauties on my 3 Mile Asbury Church run. It was good to see Spring coming out in such beautiful whites. My friend Pat in England has been sending pictures of Snowdrops which are everywhere in England at present. They look a lot like these. The run was good and brisk at 27:55 for 3 miles.

toadshade

The Agonizingly Slow 12 Miler

I did my 2nd 12 miler in preparation for the Palmetto Half Marathon.  Started slow and stayed that way.  I was slow and sore toward the end but I felt the run was good since I didn't slow down or wilt.  I think my body is just used to long distance and preserves some innate stamina even when I'm not in very good shape.  It paid off since the recoup time was a lot less than the last 12 miler.  I'm getting there!

toadshade

Spring Blossom at Dickcissel Field 5 Miler

Spring Blossom
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Caught this beauty since my eye is looking out for any remote sign of Spring. Can't quite figure out what it is, maybe a Cherry. The run was good and quick at 48:00 minutes at 9:36 pace. Am doing some catch up here so can't remember much.

toadshade

Early Wildflowers at Southeast Park

Common Chickweed
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I went out to stretch my sore muscles from yesterday and get a glimpse of the changing season. Still not much happening but I did get a few shots of some late Winter wildflowers. The Common Chickweed and Bitter Cress (which may be growing in your yard right now) were taking advantage of the sun's rays and longer days. These two get overlooked a lot since they're fairly small and fit into what most people would call 'weeds.' Another early bloomer was the Field Pansy (Viola bicolor) which grows in profusion in the fields in Springtime. There ware a few Dandelions out there along with a Veronica or two. The Partridgeberries were just putting out their red berries and hopefully we'll get a glimpse of their white fringed flower in the near future.

The birding was good with the Yellow-rumped Warbler dominating. Not the huge flocks of Robins like last week which may be a sign that they're pairing off to mate. I hiked 4 miles. The temperature was in the mid 60s and it was a beautiful day. Bird list below:

Location: Southeast Park
Observation date: 3/7/10
Number of species: 23

Mallard 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 3
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 2
Brown-headed Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 4
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Brown Thrasher 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
Pine Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

toadshade

The Green Sower 12 Miler

The Green Sower
Originally uploaded by toadshade

The Green Sower as opposed to the Grim Reaper? Get it? Well it's a pretty bad pun but there wasn't much to photograph out there today. Did a 12 mile run that exposed my lack of training. I did it in 2:03:19 which was about 10:16 per mile. I was sore as hell in the last 2 miles but, surprisingly, didn't lose my pace. Part of the reason for that is mile 11 has a long downhill slope which is a blessing for tired spent legs. You can add what little energy you have left and let the inertia take over. It was good to get this run in before the half marathon next month. Need to work on shorter more intense runs, at least 4-5 a week, do a couple of 10-12s and a tempo 8 or two and I'll be ready. Easier said than done.

The birding was good at the field with Pipits, Bluebirds and Meadowlarks taking advantage of the bright, sunny, Winter day. Good to be alive!

toadshade