Training for the Tacoma City Marathon has begun! The beagle and I took a leisurely 3+ mile run up near Mud Mountain Dam this afternoon. I was surprised to see new snow up there since most of ours has melted. The Rim Trail begins at the starts dam's day-use area. We were the only ones at the park, and much of the snow was untouched aside from a few boot and canine footprints from the morning and day before. The normally fantastic views of the White River Canyon and neighboring mountains were extra beautiful covered in snow. The Rim Trail is listed as 3.5 miles; you can stretch it a bit longer if you work some of the nearby gravel and/or surface roads.
The trail winds through second growth forest; I had hiked it once before in the summer with friends. It is georgeous, with lots of salmonberry, ferns and views across the canyon. We could always hear the muted rushing river sound. Since it was a short run, we doubled back after about 20 minutes. Months ago, I would not even venture out the door for a run less than 45 minutes long. Now with an achey back, I focus on what I know about Chi running to lean straight, breathe, stride right and pace myself. B's pace is really no faster than 9 minute per mile. Five minutes on the trail, it seemed she realized this was not a fun, snooping hike, that we were running. At ~10 inches high, she has to high step it to make it through the snow. She loves it, but at her own pace. I felt bad when I pushed her on a 4 mile run in the summer, so we took it easy. She is compelled to loiter and snoop. I turned back a few times to check on her progress.
Without gaiters and waterproof trail runners, my feet got fairly wet. Back at the parking lot, I looped around to cool down. I had never been to the Lookout; I gazed down at the White River and the dam for a few minutes until the near 30 degree temperature moved me back towards the car to put another layer on and stretch. I hope to make it back to the trail to do some longer trail runs - maybe in the snow.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Library Run
This guy is some kind of ultrarunner! Most people cannot understand why Sam Thompson ran 50 miles through one of Seattle's worst snow storms in recent history. Why? To visit libraries! And his books were not overdue either.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Snoquera Falls
What a chilly winter day to hike! On the way we passed the area where rains caused an immense slide that close Hwy 410 for several days in November. Thirty-four degrees at the parking lot off Forest Service Road 7155, we reached the falls to relatively warm, clear weather. The trail leads off the back end of the parking lot near Camp Shepard. We ran into a horde of Cub Scouts arriving for a weekend retreat. We passed them on the trail learning about plants and reached the falls quickly. Falling water was sparse, and the view was spectacular - skinny cascades coming off the basalt ledge. Normally, maples and thimbleberry cover the rocky area under the falls, but they had lossed their leaves by early December. We walked on the brown, crunchy leaves covering the trail around the stream.
It was an easy walk for the dog apart from a rocky 10 minute descent about halfway through the loop. The trail is well maintained, but the talus slide makes for some falls (the human kind) and erosion. Some trail reviews say this obstacle is "next to impossible" to traverse. However, continuing on the loop is so worth it! The last part of the hike is unlike the first part. We walked through some of the lushest, mossy areas I have seen in the MBS Forest. And you cross several other trail intersections, White River Trail and Buck Creek Trail, that lead to other great spots in the area.
It was an easy walk for the dog apart from a rocky 10 minute descent about halfway through the loop. The trail is well maintained, but the talus slide makes for some falls (the human kind) and erosion. Some trail reviews say this obstacle is "next to impossible" to traverse. However, continuing on the loop is so worth it! The last part of the hike is unlike the first part. We walked through some of the lushest, mossy areas I have seen in the MBS Forest. And you cross several other trail intersections, White River Trail and Buck Creek Trail, that lead to other great spots in the area.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Ruston - Dickman Mill Wetland
Part sandy beach, part saltwater wetlands, and part industrial remnant. Dickman Mill extends some nine acres along Ruston Way in Tacoma. The City purchased the 3.5 acre wetland site in the early '90s for over $1 million. The graffitied concrete and pilings that remain are the remaining vestige of Old Town's lumbering past. The park is small, but allows a nice sidetrack away from at-times, busy Ruston Way. The wetland is small as well, but illustrative of the extensive wetlands that were converted to port facilities and other industry over the last few hundred years.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Paul's Peak Trail
In November, access to the Carbon River entrance to Mt. Rainier gets slim. The river washed out Fairfax Rd. during the second week in November due to the evermore common combo of snow>warm weather>rain>flooding. This makes the hike to Ipsut Campground several miles longer than it already is from prior road damage, which stops car traffic at the Carbon Ranger Station. Supposedly, access to the vehicle bridge across the Carbon is cut off. We have not yet made it to the suspension bridge this year. With this luck, we are devising a plan to mountain bike to the campground and hike the shorter 3.6 miles to the suspension bridge to avoid some 10 miles (roundtrip) of relatively boring gravel road between the ranger station and Ipsut Campground. We will leave it for another day....
The road to Mowich Lake is closed as well. NPS closes this road at the first snow, or early November - whichever comes first. So, we drove 11 miles (past the Road Closed 11 Miles sign) from the Fairfax junction to the yellow gate to see what trails we could find.
At 11 miles, we find a parking lot with a handful of cars on a Sunday afternoon. Paul's Peak Trail starts there, hooking up with the Wonderland Trail. The path heads steeply downhill through some moist coniferous forest, across the creek and around the southern ridge. It was a warm day, and as we turned a corner, the South-facing slope was receiving some good sun for mid-November. We passed, interestingly, several couples with very young babies on the day. The trail is short, and drops several thousand feet down to meet the Wonderland Trail and further to hit the Mowich River. We witnessed some ginormous douglas firs as well as some lush western hemlock coming up under the canopy.
Too, sporadically, we would come upon different mushroom and saprophytes popping out of the duff or downed trees. They are not parasites, who take their noursihment from another living thing. These plants, like the tall pinedrop we saw, are some of the coolest plants in Cascadia - they connect with their host underground, have little or no cholorophyll, living on dead and decaying vegetation. The pindedrop was brown, going to seed, and lost its red and green coloration. Easily passed up as a dead stick, fascinating to plant geeks.
As the switchbacks start, we were able to see some of the best views of the mountain and Mowich glacier I have ever seen thanks to some massive blowdown. Arriving mid-day, we made it to the Wonderland intersection and continued on to the river to eat lunch. The semi-formal log crossing had blown out, so we stopped there and made our way back up the hill. About four hours later, and 40 switchbacks later we found ourselves winding back towards the car as the sun was going down. On the road out we could see the Olympic Mountains clearly to the West, emerging out of the fog that was rolling into the valleys below.
The road to Mowich Lake is closed as well. NPS closes this road at the first snow, or early November - whichever comes first. So, we drove 11 miles (past the Road Closed 11 Miles sign) from the Fairfax junction to the yellow gate to see what trails we could find.At 11 miles, we find a parking lot with a handful of cars on a Sunday afternoon. Paul's Peak Trail starts there, hooking up with the Wonderland Trail. The path heads steeply downhill through some moist coniferous forest, across the creek and around the southern ridge. It was a warm day, and as we turned a corner, the South-facing slope was receiving some good sun for mid-November. We passed, interestingly, several couples with very young babies on the day. The trail is short, and drops several thousand feet down to meet the Wonderland Trail and further to hit the Mowich River. We witnessed some ginormous douglas firs as well as some lush western hemlock coming up under the canopy.
Too, sporadically, we would come upon different mushroom and saprophytes popping out of the duff or downed trees. They are not parasites, who take their noursihment from another living thing. These plants, like the tall pinedrop we saw, are some of the coolest plants in Cascadia - they connect with their host underground, have little or no cholorophyll, living on dead and decaying vegetation. The pindedrop was brown, going to seed, and lost its red and green coloration. Easily passed up as a dead stick, fascinating to plant geeks.
As the switchbacks start, we were able to see some of the best views of the mountain and Mowich glacier I have ever seen thanks to some massive blowdown. Arriving mid-day, we made it to the Wonderland intersection and continued on to the river to eat lunch. The semi-formal log crossing had blown out, so we stopped there and made our way back up the hill. About four hours later, and 40 switchbacks later we found ourselves winding back towards the car as the sun was going down. On the road out we could see the Olympic Mountains clearly to the West, emerging out of the fog that was rolling into the valleys below.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Green Stimulus, More Than Climate and Energy
Does green job creation have to be science fiction or market driven? Clinton and Bush regimes focused some energy on renewables research and development. While corn, clean "brown" coal, and hydrogen research will most likely run on, the new Obama administration looks to investing in infrastructure and jobs. We are picking winners in a way. Ones we want. Public transit initiatives kicked perverse highway subsidies around last week all over the country. It helps folks get around in an econonomic manner appropriate to fighting climate change.
Now, what is left in the 5 million job proposal for environmental initiatives that complement this charge? Green Jobs Corps and like initiatives already exist. Pump them up!
It is not a new topic. Who has Obama's ear? While some progressive think tanks put the emphasis on "retrofitting buildings to improve energy efficiency, expanding mass transit and freight rail, constructing “smart” electrical grid transmission systems, wind power, solar power, and next-generation biofuels," Patrick Heffernan (in 1976), Alan Durning (in 1999), Van Jones and Thomas Friedman (2000s) introduced the (often, more holistic) term to congress and the American public. The Sightline Institute in Seattle calls green jobs "the green wave that will lift all boats." It should be part of the Obama transition, if we are to see one during the next presidency. Renewing our perception of work with nature is, as Alan Durning writes, "leading this change-by planning community forestry, fostering value-added manufacturing, retraining workers for ecosystem restoration, tapping the conservation market, and tethering money at home. None of these approaches is sufficient in itself, but they underline an all-important lesson: people make the economy, and people can change it."
Whoever is running the show, please keep the architects, planners, conservation biologist, geogologists, ecologists, and tree huggers in mind. While climate and energy are near term and long term challenges, protection and restoration of biodiversity in our ecosystems is threatened everyday. Most of the jobs above are relatively low-paying, led by non-profit groups, strung along by grants and local fundraising. Projects completed on a shoestring budget are often too numerous to count or go unaccounted for because they are not expressed in the market. The pairing of labor and the environment for climate justice, real restoration and community defense is extraordinary. January 20th cannot come soon enough, because we are living with the legacy of poor stewardship everyday.
Now, what is left in the 5 million job proposal for environmental initiatives that complement this charge? Green Jobs Corps and like initiatives already exist. Pump them up!
It is not a new topic. Who has Obama's ear? While some progressive think tanks put the emphasis on "retrofitting buildings to improve energy efficiency, expanding mass transit and freight rail, constructing “smart” electrical grid transmission systems, wind power, solar power, and next-generation biofuels," Patrick Heffernan (in 1976), Alan Durning (in 1999), Van Jones and Thomas Friedman (2000s) introduced the (often, more holistic) term to congress and the American public. The Sightline Institute in Seattle calls green jobs "the green wave that will lift all boats." It should be part of the Obama transition, if we are to see one during the next presidency. Renewing our perception of work with nature is, as Alan Durning writes, "leading this change-by planning community forestry, fostering value-added manufacturing, retraining workers for ecosystem restoration, tapping the conservation market, and tethering money at home. None of these approaches is sufficient in itself, but they underline an all-important lesson: people make the economy, and people can change it."
Whoever is running the show, please keep the architects, planners, conservation biologist, geogologists, ecologists, and tree huggers in mind. While climate and energy are near term and long term challenges, protection and restoration of biodiversity in our ecosystems is threatened everyday. Most of the jobs above are relatively low-paying, led by non-profit groups, strung along by grants and local fundraising. Projects completed on a shoestring budget are often too numerous to count or go unaccounted for because they are not expressed in the market. The pairing of labor and the environment for climate justice, real restoration and community defense is extraordinary. January 20th cannot come soon enough, because we are living with the legacy of poor stewardship everyday.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Superman!?
Barack Obama has an obvious mandate and hopefully his friends in Congress will back him up. No one has mentioned how ecstatic we will be when the Bush Department chiefs get replaced with real wildlife, energy and agriculture professionals, not corporate figureheads. On a personal note, when people talk about green jobs and use the word restoring the environment, most of the talk is centered on green collar technology jobs - energy jobs. So, in essence, we are still left to pull ourselves up with our bootstraps when the Barack Administration takes office. Perhaps, as always, scratching funds together to restore our own rivers, wetlands and forests while state money goes towards "typical" urban issues - mostly converting "sustainable" energy sources that still helps to feed our need for growth, in a "green" way.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Yo Heart El Duwamish
The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition sponsored an afternoon tour of the navigable river on Saturday afternoon. Besides reviewing and viewing some of the meanest environmental contamination in the state of Washington, the groups was able to view bald eagles and great blue herons in addition to hearing about the awesome community building efforts around the cleanup.
Superfund since '01, EPA and Ecology are moving through the process of assessing the sources and extent of contamination (Phase I) in and around the river. The EPA representative on the tour mentioned the footprint of the contamination could be anywhere from the ridge of West Seattle all the way across the valley to Beacon Hill. Right now the worse contaminants to be controlled and removed are PCBs, heavy metals and the crap from combined sewer overflows. Importantly, DRCC's coordinator, noted the presence of pthalates (used in PVC plastics) in the river as well, which are hard to track and are not on the priority list of chemicals to control. The chemical is in medical devices to toys to cars to homes - it is the stuff in your Nalgene bottle.
The cultural and natural history of the river is fascinating. We have to look forward to the opening of the Duwamish Tribe's Longhouse Project sometime in the near future.
Superfund since '01, EPA and Ecology are moving through the process of assessing the sources and extent of contamination (Phase I) in and around the river. The EPA representative on the tour mentioned the footprint of the contamination could be anywhere from the ridge of West Seattle all the way across the valley to Beacon Hill. Right now the worse contaminants to be controlled and removed are PCBs, heavy metals and the crap from combined sewer overflows. Importantly, DRCC's coordinator, noted the presence of pthalates (used in PVC plastics) in the river as well, which are hard to track and are not on the priority list of chemicals to control. The chemical is in medical devices to toys to cars to homes - it is the stuff in your Nalgene bottle.
The cultural and natural history of the river is fascinating. We have to look forward to the opening of the Duwamish Tribe's Longhouse Project sometime in the near future.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Lake Sylvia
Seeing a bald eagle makes my day. With rocks in my hamstrings, I took a short run yesterday around Lake Sylvia, just outside of Montesano. I ran around the swampy end of the lake to complete mini-loop. It looks like the park staff, or somebody, has been doing some work! They are enhancing the trail, building steps, bridges and handrails with much of the salvaged wood from the storms last year. Very artistic trail building. As I arrived, they were paving the entrance road as well, which seems to be breaking away a bit.
I slowed to a walk to stretch over by the dam, and as I crossed...the whisp-whisp-whisp of wings and a shadow went over me! I looked back to see a bald eagle twenty feet off the lake. I must have spooked her. She flew out over the water and came back to land on a doug fir a couple hundred yards away. Must be fishing.
I slowed to a walk to stretch over by the dam, and as I crossed...the whisp-whisp-whisp of wings and a shadow went over me! I looked back to see a bald eagle twenty feet off the lake. I must have spooked her. She flew out over the water and came back to land on a doug fir a couple hundred yards away. Must be fishing.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wolf Cascades
This summer, for the first time since the 1930s, wildlife agencies and people in the Methow Valley have reported the presence of a wolf pack in Washington State. This may be a good sign for ecosystem health, although I wonder whether people have become more tolerant of this species due to advocacy and awareness campaigns, like that of Conservation Northwest. They may be more adaptable than we think. They control prey populations, like elk and other herbivores - the predator-prey relationship as well as their link to ecosystem health is fascinating. Two Oregon State researchers, Beschta and Ripple, recently published an articlelinking wolf predation on herbivores to healthier riparian systems in our very own Olympic National Park.
It immediately reminded me of a July/August 2005 article in Orion Magazine, by Rick Bass, on essentially the same topic in Yellowstone. The re-emergence of wolves to the landscape alters the ecosystem in ways that we did not realize. I dug around for information, and the same busy researchers have been conducting studies in both the Cascades and the Rockies. Their research program, Trophic Cascades is all about the role of predators in structuring ecological communities.
Poetically, I think we may see changes in the colors of fall once wolf populations thin elk herds, which in turn, give riparian forests a break from being munched on. Hopefully, it will help restore our favorite areas and trails. The intentionality of reintroducing wolves makes the endeavor restoration, whereby leveraging the natural tendencies of the prey regulation to bring back lost function to the system.
It immediately reminded me of a July/August 2005 article in Orion Magazine, by Rick Bass, on essentially the same topic in Yellowstone. The re-emergence of wolves to the landscape alters the ecosystem in ways that we did not realize. I dug around for information, and the same busy researchers have been conducting studies in both the Cascades and the Rockies. Their research program, Trophic Cascades is all about the role of predators in structuring ecological communities.
Poetically, I think we may see changes in the colors of fall once wolf populations thin elk herds, which in turn, give riparian forests a break from being munched on. Hopefully, it will help restore our favorite areas and trails. The intentionality of reintroducing wolves makes the endeavor restoration, whereby leveraging the natural tendencies of the prey regulation to bring back lost function to the system.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Li'l Si
A blusterry day out in North Bend. We hiked Little Si. The views provided some incredible contrasts with the yellowing big leaf maples, which stand out from the doug fir-hemlock forest on Mount Si.
Tacoma Triangle Half
IRC's Annual Tacoma Triangle Half Marathon went off in nice weather on Saturday. A casual start with 12 people left the "B for Beluga" parking lot of the Point Defiance Zoo and proceeded down the hill towards the Ruston waterfront. We all met at the north side of the Ruston Tunnel while friends closed off the tunnel to traffic coming the opposite direction (only room for one lane off cars at a time). Once we were all good, we lined up and sprinted into the darkness of the ~40 yard tunnel. I came out on the other side behind tall Alex, and we continued on the run along Ruston Way. It took about 2 miles to really recover from the all out sprint.
It was nice on a long run to have support. Folks attended three aid stations, set up along the triangular course that weaved across the north end of Tacoma.
At Old Town, we headed uphill for one block, then continued along the Shuster Parkway (yeah, you have seen that narrow sidewalk) to the north end of downtown. Up the hill to 6th, then followed Division until we hit Pearl. Then it was a straight shot back to Point Defiance.
I ran with two other folks at a conversational 8:50 pace. They pushed and pulled me along, and I was happy to run alongside tthem. We finished the 13 and change "Half" course in 2 hours. The running club is a good group of folks and the run left me energized...and a bit sore.
Back feels good, and the legs are generously talking to me.
It was nice on a long run to have support. Folks attended three aid stations, set up along the triangular course that weaved across the north end of Tacoma.
At Old Town, we headed uphill for one block, then continued along the Shuster Parkway (yeah, you have seen that narrow sidewalk) to the north end of downtown. Up the hill to 6th, then followed Division until we hit Pearl. Then it was a straight shot back to Point Defiance.
I ran with two other folks at a conversational 8:50 pace. They pushed and pulled me along, and I was happy to run alongside tthem. We finished the 13 and change "Half" course in 2 hours. The running club is a good group of folks and the run left me energized...and a bit sore.
Back feels good, and the legs are generously talking to me.
Friday, October 24, 2008
No Pain, No Pain
2.5 miles yesterday and 2 today. No big pains - my back actually felt ok. The runs are energizing. I went running yesterday around one of the boggy parts of Lake Tapps. I don't think many people go there - never seen anyone besides us. I was using my ChiRunning technique I learned after four chapters of Danny Dreyers book. Posture, Focus, Relaxation, Breathing.... There are a few rules, and your mind wanders. Every few minutes you must return your attention to some part of your body that is out of wonk - swaying by back and sticking out my gut, picking up your knees and overreaching, scrunching shoulders, etc.
One day to the half marathon.
One day to the half marathon.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Rain Shadows
One post about weather and maybe it will evacuate my mind.
I woke up to rain this morning. Still dark and the window was a tad bit open to let in the sounds of the morning. Also garbage day. We did not hear sounds of the garbage truck, but the early schoolbus that cruises the neighborhood gobbling up kids for the day.
Listening to rain is a Northwest past time. Stomping around in it, climbing moss-covered trees, and shunning umbrellas are customs here. Maybe in the city these days, but you will rarely see umbrellas around the PNW. Do you know what a rain shadow is? You have not lived here long enough.
Biogeographers could shoot out some fancy explanation, but locals will tell you just about anywhere in the immediate easterly vicinity of mountains that you may be protected from downpours in monsoon season. The reason...weather comes from the ocean and climbs up and over the mountains. Loaded with moisture, the heavy droplets must simply be let go by the clouds. Precipitation is rain or fog or snow. By the time they reach the other side of the mountain the clouds are either nonexistent or relatively free of their water weight. Some folks are adept at reading the rain forecast without turning on the TV. Long cumulus clouds and a bit of mugginess signify rain in roughly 24 hours. Disc-like UFOs (lenticular clouds) over Mt. Rainier mean trouble. See those flat, beach stone-shapes hanging over the crater we just drive over to the Eastside for a hike.
Some people with coins to jingle in their pocket wear Gore-Tex. The material is worn like a uniform around Seattle. I have been living in other countries and met people who end up hailing from the NW....I should have know when I saw your North Face, dude. It is waterproof and breathable.
Like Christmas, I remember opening the REI box to find my first Gore-Tex jacket. You never look back. I'll tell you - don't wear it in the tropics. The breathability is limited. Anyway...gear...is petroleum.
The most recent issue of Runner's World had a green focus. I started running because it was easy and cheap. Good shoes is all you need, and then you may need other toys. The RW issue really got into it. More than I thought by looking at the blonde on the cover with the green sports bra. Running's carbon impact is relatively low compared to other sports. Truth?! Green shoes. Recycled material in your midsoles, and bamboo textile in the upper. Good progress. 5,449 lbs. of CO2 if you purchase synthetics, use electricity to wash your clothes and travel to runs and races. 958 lbs. of CO2 in gear alone. Your carbon footprint is imaginary to begin with....But if it did really exist, it is essentially all the nonrenewable, fossil fuel (translated into added carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, that is emitted into the atmosphere killing polar bears and causing floods) that goes into making your product, providing you a service, etc. What can we do?
Carry your own water bottle.
Buy $100 recycled polyester shirts. And oh do I like pricey wool blends.
Make your own energy bars, etc.
Run local!
Are we making strides? Austin Marathon is the greenest race in the country, says RW.
I am doint my part to lower my carbon footprint. Not entirely purposefully - I am unemployed and not participating in some aspects of our economy. Jessica Solnit's article waxes better about it than me.
I am radical and nobody knows it but me.
Reading today: ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer
My posture is a less than desirable vertical orientation, and I wish I knew how to breathe
I woke up to rain this morning. Still dark and the window was a tad bit open to let in the sounds of the morning. Also garbage day. We did not hear sounds of the garbage truck, but the early schoolbus that cruises the neighborhood gobbling up kids for the day.
Listening to rain is a Northwest past time. Stomping around in it, climbing moss-covered trees, and shunning umbrellas are customs here. Maybe in the city these days, but you will rarely see umbrellas around the PNW. Do you know what a rain shadow is? You have not lived here long enough.
Biogeographers could shoot out some fancy explanation, but locals will tell you just about anywhere in the immediate easterly vicinity of mountains that you may be protected from downpours in monsoon season. The reason...weather comes from the ocean and climbs up and over the mountains. Loaded with moisture, the heavy droplets must simply be let go by the clouds. Precipitation is rain or fog or snow. By the time they reach the other side of the mountain the clouds are either nonexistent or relatively free of their water weight. Some folks are adept at reading the rain forecast without turning on the TV. Long cumulus clouds and a bit of mugginess signify rain in roughly 24 hours. Disc-like UFOs (lenticular clouds) over Mt. Rainier mean trouble. See those flat, beach stone-shapes hanging over the crater we just drive over to the Eastside for a hike.Some people with coins to jingle in their pocket wear Gore-Tex. The material is worn like a uniform around Seattle. I have been living in other countries and met people who end up hailing from the NW....I should have know when I saw your North Face, dude. It is waterproof and breathable.
Like Christmas, I remember opening the REI box to find my first Gore-Tex jacket. You never look back. I'll tell you - don't wear it in the tropics. The breathability is limited. Anyway...gear...is petroleum.
The most recent issue of Runner's World had a green focus. I started running because it was easy and cheap. Good shoes is all you need, and then you may need other toys. The RW issue really got into it. More than I thought by looking at the blonde on the cover with the green sports bra. Running's carbon impact is relatively low compared to other sports. Truth?! Green shoes. Recycled material in your midsoles, and bamboo textile in the upper. Good progress. 5,449 lbs. of CO2 if you purchase synthetics, use electricity to wash your clothes and travel to runs and races. 958 lbs. of CO2 in gear alone. Your carbon footprint is imaginary to begin with....But if it did really exist, it is essentially all the nonrenewable, fossil fuel (translated into added carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, that is emitted into the atmosphere killing polar bears and causing floods) that goes into making your product, providing you a service, etc. What can we do?
Carry your own water bottle.
Buy $100 recycled polyester shirts. And oh do I like pricey wool blends.
Make your own energy bars, etc.
Run local!
Are we making strides? Austin Marathon is the greenest race in the country, says RW.
I am doint my part to lower my carbon footprint. Not entirely purposefully - I am unemployed and not participating in some aspects of our economy. Jessica Solnit's article waxes better about it than me.
I am radical and nobody knows it but me.
Reading today: ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer
My posture is a less than desirable vertical orientation, and I wish I knew how to breathe
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Moved
I moved from SoCal several months ago. Back to the land of soy milk and cruelty free honey - the Pacific Northwest. Back had been in bad shape, so we laid off the running for a couple months. That and unemployment signifies 10 lbs. of extra weight to carry now that I am running again. I have considered renaming my moniker, "Mossrunner," now that we are back home in the precipitationlandia.
Up to 11 miles. I am going to run a half marathon on Saturday, October 25th, at Point Defiance, in Tacoma. Supposedly, the park has 20 miles of trails. However, the run will be on the roads. Also, I registered for the 2nd Annual Tacoma Marathon - hopes to be nice run in May. I will start building time running/mileage again in January.
So, the NW is quite different than sunny Los Angeles recently. It basically started raining when we crossed the border into Oregon several months ago. It stopped.
Not for long. It rained for two weeks. Summer was awesome. I actually kept up with my shorts and flip-flop habit.
This morning I left to go to yoga...38 degrees. So, needless to say, I broke out the sweaters a couple days ago. And I have been thinking of getting some thoughts out of my head.
Blackberries. Many think to be native of the PNW. Wrong. Non-native from Eurasia (we will say). Invasive. They have prickles, not thorns. They are in the Rose family, all roses have prickles. That Guns 'n Roses song - not true. My girlfriend and I made three cobblers this summer, and I survived with minimal stains on my fingers and clothes. My lacerations have healed. The Himalayan blackberry has the propensity to grab you, via the prickle, in a variety of areas on your body. It will snag your shoe, your calf, and then when you are not looking...there it is on your neck. I have heard the wounds tend to get infected, but I have never heard of anyone getting an infected cut from picking blackberries.
They are good...for eating. We will run out of the ones we froze tomorrow when I put them in the blender for a smoothie.
Running and hiking we have seen plenty of the blackberry plant along with the usual list of plant characters. I missed ferns. Now that we are in fall, the ground is loaded with browns and oranges of colors. The trees are radiant with hues of red and yellow. Changes in the temperature, water availability, and length of daylight cause the leaves of deciduous trees to stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the bright colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall brilliance.
Up to 11 miles. I am going to run a half marathon on Saturday, October 25th, at Point Defiance, in Tacoma. Supposedly, the park has 20 miles of trails. However, the run will be on the roads. Also, I registered for the 2nd Annual Tacoma Marathon - hopes to be nice run in May. I will start building time running/mileage again in January.
So, the NW is quite different than sunny Los Angeles recently. It basically started raining when we crossed the border into Oregon several months ago. It stopped.
Not for long. It rained for two weeks. Summer was awesome. I actually kept up with my shorts and flip-flop habit.
This morning I left to go to yoga...38 degrees. So, needless to say, I broke out the sweaters a couple days ago. And I have been thinking of getting some thoughts out of my head.
Blackberries. Many think to be native of the PNW. Wrong. Non-native from Eurasia (we will say). Invasive. They have prickles, not thorns. They are in the Rose family, all roses have prickles. That Guns 'n Roses song - not true. My girlfriend and I made three cobblers this summer, and I survived with minimal stains on my fingers and clothes. My lacerations have healed. The Himalayan blackberry has the propensity to grab you, via the prickle, in a variety of areas on your body. It will snag your shoe, your calf, and then when you are not looking...there it is on your neck. I have heard the wounds tend to get infected, but I have never heard of anyone getting an infected cut from picking blackberries.
They are good...for eating. We will run out of the ones we froze tomorrow when I put them in the blender for a smoothie.
Running and hiking we have seen plenty of the blackberry plant along with the usual list of plant characters. I missed ferns. Now that we are in fall, the ground is loaded with browns and oranges of colors. The trees are radiant with hues of red and yellow. Changes in the temperature, water availability, and length of daylight cause the leaves of deciduous trees to stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the bright colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall brilliance.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Butterfly Dreams
The first silvery blue butterflies have started to fly on the PV Peninsula. Looking forward to looking for them, particularly in the Malaga area, where they are thought to fly ~March - May.
Senstive Chaos
Back pain sucks. No 50K last year due to pain in the lower back-glute area. Physical therapy helps, but the chiropractric work is a miracle. An "investment" in my future. I knew, but am incredibly surprised how connected everything is to my spine and nerves that run down that delicate spinal tunnel.
3 weeks and change until the Catalina Marathon. I am registered and locked in. I follwed my high mileage week with a nasty cold that set me back a bit. Stupid planes. Then I become that guy that sits next to you and sniffs and blows his nose the whole flight. I hate that. Anyway, really looking forward to the hills and 5+ hours of running on the edge of the western world....
Working through the pain and getting better.
3 weeks and change until the Catalina Marathon. I am registered and locked in. I follwed my high mileage week with a nasty cold that set me back a bit. Stupid planes. Then I become that guy that sits next to you and sniffs and blows his nose the whole flight. I hate that. Anyway, really looking forward to the hills and 5+ hours of running on the edge of the western world....
Working through the pain and getting better.
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