Training Log Archive: Swampfox

The sun is feeling intense. It's almost as if it is getting higher in the sky or something. Weird.

But no matter. Intervals were on tap today, and intervals were what happened.

Also, a Mark 37a FDF emerged from a miasma and maneuvered to engage me. For a brief bit we were evenly matched with neither of us able to gain an advantage. But then the enemy pilot made a mistake that proved to be fatal. When I returned to the aerodrome, my crew was already waiting with chilled Mountain Dew, and we all celebrated my first victory of the season.

C • :-) 1

Just breeze today, and no wind enough to cause travel advisories to be posted for the interstate. An odd day in that it was cloudy just about all day long, with two very brief, very light sprinkles, and quite cool temps considering it is nearly midsummer--maybe just up to 60F or so.

I ran an 11 km course with 30 controls at Diamond Bay, taking in some of the new area I added on last year. It's the first time the new area has been used by anyone. Cheat grass is still green but is now curing rapidly and it won't be long before it is ready to inflict itself upon socks, and even human flesh! It was a sad day when cheat grass got loose; it has never looked back.

There were enormous numbers at ATVers out, kicking up impressive clouds of dust, surely large enough to be easily visible from space.

I did not see any cows while I was running.

While I was putting on my socks and O' shoes, I listened to a piece on the radio talking about Yoko Ono being recognized as a co-writer of "Imagine". A long time coming. It's one of my favorite songs, as, I guess, it is of so many other people as well.

Day 7 of wind. For summer, unprecedented, that I can remember. Lots of fines were headed off towards Nebraska today. And quite pleasant out; much warmer, and it would have felt like a warm wind. As it was, it felt cooling.

I biked some, and ran some, checking out the snowfield up top. I estimate it should last at least another 2 days, but probably not many more after that. I came across a number of other trees leaning over trails, half blown over (and hung up in other trees) sometime during the past week in the wind.

Lots of larkspur in bloom. Supposedly larkspur is a real problem for livestock.

The summer shoulder season in Laramie is over now. Gradually activity will pick up from here with summer camps, athletes returning to campus, and tourists. Maybe even an orienteer or two!

I don't often run at Plains of Despair anymore unless I'm feeling unusually ebullient, but I ran there today: a course about 12 km with 26 controls. From what I gather from Gswede's log, this was as close as you can get to Estonian terrain and vegetation as you can get without actually being there. In some parts of the prairie sections of the map, the grasses were so lush and abundant that forward progress was nearly impossible, though of course since it was only *nearly* impossible, it was still possible, at least for a strong and determined swampfox like me.

I was very surprised to not see a single cow; just a few days ago, there were hundreds in the area. What gives? Aliens? Were they part of some huge voodoo sacrifice designed to give impetus to the secret Senate health care plan? Very mysterious.

But boy did I see a lot of brilliant orange-red indian paint brush! That more than made up for the lack of cattle. A lot of the time cows just get in the way anyway.

And I also nearly ran over two baby (fawn? I have no idea what you call young antelope) antelope, who sprang up at my feet and took off at rocket speed. Probably their mother is still looking for them now. They were only slightly larger than a large chihuahua. (Of course everything is larger than a small chihuahua.)

Day 6 of wind. Maybe it winds down tonight.

C • wrong, but right 2

Windy again today, now for 5 straight days.

While biking today, I encountered a gigantic water snake on the river bike path. Okay--the snake was probably not more than 2' long, but for around here, that is about as big as they get.

It feverishly tried to attack my front wheel, which was almost funny. I can't imagine what it thought it was going to accomplish. Really, I doubt it could have hurt the tender skin of a pinky finger, much less the Gatorskins on my wheels. Gatorsklns are warrantied to be bite-proof from alligators and even salt water crocs.

At length, it desisted and slithered off towards the snow-melt swollen waters of the river, which was kind of an odd choice for a cold blooded reptile. Surely the water this time of the year is icy cold.

When I got home, I called up the local newspaper, thinking this is the kind of exciting story they would want to run tomorrow on the front page, under a banner headline. But they didn't seem near as interested as I thought they would be. Apparently the serpent would have needed to have been a few inches longer to warrant that kind of coverage.

Feeling somewhat muffined by the whole experience, I then went running. There is still some snow left up top at Happy Jack at the eastern overlook off the Headquarters Trail, if you know where to look. And funny enough, just as I was stepping back form the snowfield, a snake crawled out from under a rock. It was huge! At least 2' 4" long....

One new tree had been blown down across a trail, either yesterday or today.

C • Snake 7

Interesting discussion about ticks and disease on On Point today--worth a listen for folks who spend time outdoors where tick contact is possible.

I feel very lucky to be in an area where ticks are relatively uncommon--at least, very few per year end up on me (2 so far this year, with a good chance there won't be any more, now that it's mid--June.)

Returned to the eye guy today and we fiddled around with some different solutions for my right eye; I think I have something now that will work well enough for the next year. My left eye, corrected, is still really good. I have for many years said to myself that as long as I can run up at Happy Jack and still see the windmills off to the west, I'm doing okay--and I can still see them pretty well.

Day 4 of wind, now out of the west. Can't remember 4 straight days of wind in the summer before, but starting now I will be able to. It was also quite a bit cooler today, struggling to get over 60F. It felt refreshing!

On the other hand, Day 3 of Labor Daze. That is, the task for the later afternoon was to streamer the Day 3 course--which will just happen to be the One Cowboy Relay. Just for the hell of it, I have decided to use control descriptions this time around, and see if all the cowboys and cowgirls like that; presumably nobody was going to show up expecting an Easter Egg Hunt anyway. I was quite happy with the design as I was streamering, but the true test will come when I give it a trial by fire at race speed.

Bitterbrush is in full bloom and at several times I almost swooned, nearly overcome by the enveloping, overwhelming fragrance. Those unaccustomed to it would surely have succumbed. It's the kind of thing that often causes compass bubbles to form.

Day 3 of steady winds, and today the wind was the strongest it has been in a while, again out of the east. Some of the energy in the air combined with heating and moisture to produce some fine storms east of the Laramie Range that spawned tornadoes and dropped baseball sized hail; one of the storm cells was visible from Laramie for much of the day though the fringes never extended over the range.

Decided on an easy day today and only biked; first day off from running since sometime in March. That said, biking uphill and into the wind today was far from an easy task! : )