A gorgeous day in the North Chagrin Reservation

Thursday, February 03, 2011

It was a beautiful, sunny, but cold and crisp morning. I dropped Jack off at school and decided it would the perfect time to try and get some pictures of the winter wonderland the Metropark had become over the last few days. I parked and made my way down to the marsh, stopping to take pictures of the sun sparkling off the new, crystallized dusting of snow that had fallen overnight. I saw a herd of seven deer moving just ahead of my as I hiked, which is more than I’ve seen together in some time. There were three sets of coyote tracks moving through the woods, as well.

I made it to the marsh and decided it was probably frozen enough to support my weight. I really wanted to get out in the middle and take pictures before anything disturbed the unbroken blanket of snow. I started slowly and was breaking through the surface a couple of inches, but then it held. I ended up getting some great shots before returning to the car 75 minutes later.

I made my way back to the Metropark after work to try and get in some running. I wasn’t too hopeful since I figured few people would have passed over the trails during the day and packed it down to where running could be manageable. I was completely right.

I’d decided ahead that a 20-minute run would be more than enough…I’d already walked and was going to ride when I got home…and by the 6-minute mark, was thinking I might not even make it that far. I tried to run in a set of prints from a previous hiker…and there was only one set…but I was breaking through with every stride and getting exhausted. I was probably running about a 10-minute mile pace…but the effort made it feel a lot faster. As I struggled over the final minutes of the run, I thought how much it felt like running in sand…which is completely asinine…and collapsed into the car when I finally made it there.

The moral of the story is…great workout – toughest 23 minutes I’ve ever run…but I’m done with that foolishness. I’m waiting to the hikers and skiers pack it down before I try that again.

Bike duration: 60 minutes. Run duration: 23 minutes. Hike duration: 75 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 biking. 145 running. 90 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 900 biking. 400 running. 375 hiking.