Five States! Five Trails! Four Days!

Along the Erie-Lackawanna Trail

I saw this plaque along the first trail of my quest - and it made me laugh...exactly what each of my Big running adventures has done for me. Made me laugh - enjoy life - enjoy the world I find myself in. And so this new quest has begun!

First, a prelude to the quest: a visit to Lake Michigan on the way to the trailhead and just minutes from our campsite. It was a bit of a breezy, foggy, chilly day. Great for running! Wild for visiting the southern shore of the Great Lake whose northeast shore I called home while growing up!

State #1, Indiana and the Erie-Lackawanna Trail (Hammond to Crown Point, Indiana)
Chosen for location (not too far from where we dropped Paul off to visit a college buddy, and heading in the direction of our second trail), distance (14 miles), and because everything I had read about it seemed to indicate that it is a well-loved trail by those who maintain it and ride/run/walk it. All true! Besides that, I just love saying "ErieLackawanna."

The start at the Hammond Indiana Welcome Center

One of TWO! doggy drinking fountains along the trail

 

A trail-side Little Free Library

Indeed, the Erie-Lackawanna Trail

The Erie-Lackawanna neighborhood elephant

Indiana & the Erie-Lackawanna: Done!

State #2, Illinois and the Rock Island Trail (Alta to Princeville, Illinois)
Chosen because it is my long-time running buddy Connie's favorite trail. She discovered it when her son moved to Peoria and has been singing its praises ever since. Of course I was going to run Rock Island as my Illinois trail! Traversing farmland and prairie, it is as peaceful as peaceful can be.

Running buddy's son, Stephen, and family joined me for the early miles

Interesting sights near Dunlap village mid-way

Prairie farm beauty all along the way

Illinois & the Rock Island Trail: Done!

State #3, Wisconsin and the Pecatonica Trail (Calamine to Belmont, Wisconsin)
Chosen because it is pretty much the closest trail to the Illinois border just north of where we picked Paul up - and it is described as running along the twists and turns of the Pecatonica River. Sounded like fun! With the exception of 10 polite ATVs (5 individual and 5 in a group), it was just me and the birds out there. And in the absence of the ATVs, I thought my feet were making too much noise...certainly enough noise to startle many a large bird - one that seemed to be a mutant, white-faced giant goose, and several others that looked and sounded like turkeys...for what would a run in Wisconsin be without wild turkeys!
Unlike the prior two trails where Taz could accompany me for the early miles of the run, there was no place for a mid-run rendezvous to drop him off with Kendall, so I was doing this one solo. It also turned out there was no cell service along the way, so I was really solo. This made for a very quiet morning! Bonus features: very soft surface - thus very easy on the legs. And! 22 bridge crossings, presumably over the twisty turny Pecatonica (each of the bridges is numbered - so easy to keep track).

Ready to start the Pecatonica trail, Wisconsin!

First snake siting of the quest. A teeny thing.

The Pecatonica.

There is a critter climbing this tree.
I was hoping badger; son Devon researched & concluded groundhog. Other ideas?

Wisconsin & the Pecatonica Trail: Done!

And what is a trip to Wisconsin without a snapshot of a cow statue?!

State #4, Iowa and the Pioneer trail (Reinbeck to Grundy Center, Iowa)
Another trail chosen for location (near highway 20, which we prefer over I80 and west of Dubuque where we would be entering Iowa). Also for its description: through farmland and wildlife preserves. It sounded like a good combo to me! There are two points along the way where the trail stops and one has to travel along the highway. Given my fatigued legs, and that this would be my second run of the day (Wisconsin in the morning, Iowa in the afternoon), I decided that I would forego the 10-mile trail with highway segments and just run the 6 miles between the highway sections. Good choice - and one that offered a startling contrast of scenery. The first two-thirds or so of the distance paralleled the highway with farmland as far as one could see, then one road crossing later and I was in the midst of the wildlife preserve beneath a canopy of trees with birds, deer, and a raucous chorus of frogs to accompany me. Delightful!

Pioneer Trail! Iowa!

Pioneer Trail Farmland

Pioneer Trail Woodland

Iowa & the Pioneer Trail: Done!

State #5, Nebraska and the Dark Island trail (Central City to Marquette, Nebraska)
Dark Island got my vote primarily because of The Bridge. Quoting the Rails-to-Trails description of the trail: "The centerpiece of the trail is undoubtedly its 1,072 ft. long bridge, which was originally built in the 1880s by the Republican Valley Railroad. The bridge, which spans the Platte River south of Central City, is now one of the longest railroad trestles converted to a hiking/biking trail in the state of Nebraska." I simply had to check this out. It turns out, when running the trail from Central City to Marquette, the bridge comes very early in the run and the remainder of the trail is barely marked - but easy enough to discern because it is the quintessential rail-to-trail: slightly raised bed covered with cinder, chopped up rock, some grass, some more finely crushed rock and dirt. A rather challenging run in the more rocky bits and it is fairly remote, right through the midst of farmland with nary a human to be seen or heard. Again, a trail of contrasts given the exhilarating 1,072-foot run over the Platte to start things off!

The Bridge!

The Platte! From above!

Definitely a trail that used to be a rail

Uh Oh! (but easy enough to get around)

Taz sees Paula!

Nebraska & the Dark Island Trail: Done!

And that makes five!

Home again - and ready to plan the next outing!

Trail Quest Begins!

FINALLY! Tomorrow we head out for the first chapter of my quest for running a trail in every state - a quest that was to span from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. Obviously, it took us a while to get rolling - but rolling we will be tomorrow! Our itinerary:

• Wednesday/Thursday: drive to Illinois and drop Paul off at a college buddy's house then continue on to camp - probably in Portage, Indiana.
• Friday, April 22: run the Erie-Lackawanna trail from Hammond's Indiana Welcome Center on Corinne Drive to its southern trailhead at Crown Point, Indiana (roughly 14.25 miles). After fueling up in Crown Point (I hear there are good brew pubs there!), we head for Peoria Illinois, hopefully in time for a visit to the Caterpillar Visitors Center.

• Saturday, April 23: run the Rock Island Trail between Alta (after a stop at the Great Harvest there, yum!) to Princeville. Running buddy Connie has been singing the praises of this trail ever since her son moved to Peoria. I can't wait to try it! After running Rock Island, we pick up Paul then head to Wisconsin.
• Sunday, April 24: run the Pecatonica State Trail from Calamine to Belmont, Wisconsin (Belmont being the original capital of Wisconsin when it was still a territory). The trail promises to be a twisty turny affair along the Pecatonica River. I love love love running along rivers!
• Monday, April 25: we are in Iowa for the Pioneer Trail between Reinbeck and Holland - with the trail offering up a mix of farmland and conservation areas.
• Monday? Tuesday? - depends on how fast I'm running and how fast Hedwig the motorhome is cruising - brings us to Nebraska and the Dark Island Trail between Central City and Marquette and along which I will be treated to Nebraska's longest converted-from-railroad-trestle-bridge-to-pedestrian bridge, spanning the Platte River (a bridge that was originally built in the 1880s). 

After that, it's back to Colorado where, if all went well, I can check 5 states off my list!

Because it's there

The view if you happen to be heading toward Boulder

I don't normally jump into something just "because it is there." However, I've been watching the bike path between Boulder and Westminster being built for years - and now its entire length is open and ready for action. Definitely geared more toward bikes (wide concrete path running alongside Highway 36), I still really really wanted to give it a try.

Today seemed the perfect day - even though the idea itself was fairly, well, not smart.

Downsides:

• my longest run all year had been 13 miles and this was going to be more in the 17-mile range
• all, and I mean ALL, concrete

Upsides:

• gorgeous blue sky sunshine Colorado day
• I would be running to Westminster and my bro/sis-in-law's house. They had just returned to Colorado after 10 weeks of being gone; a visit was long overdue!
• I was seriously craving a long run (see nothing-more-than-13 note above).

So off I went. And, despite the concrete and road noise, it was grand. I just ignored the concrete. I looked away from the road and toward fields and blue sky and birds and prairie dogs and the occasional passing, waving cyclist. I sweated in the welcome warmth of spring. And I ran and ran and ran. And to top it off bro-in-law, Steve, and his daughter, Amber, rode bikes out to meet me so I even had company for the last 5 miles or so. Still smiling!

About 2 hours into the run; getting a water refill from Kendall

This Quote Really Spoke To Me...

Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue.
Your only recourse is to call on your spirit,
which fortunately functions independently of logic.

~Tim Noakes

Victoria Springs Road in Nebraska - Day 13 and 353 miles into my 57-day, 1400-mile run from Boulder, Colorado to Petoskey, Michigan

Springtime in the Rockies!

Yesterday (March 22, 2016)

Today! (March 23, 2016)

I wonder what tomorrow shall bring?!

Last Day of Winter

Today's early morning run, on this last day of winter, offered up some very difficult and challenging footing - but stellar views.  Perhaps this is also reflective of my old and new years:  the last day of my 63rd year, which was filled with difficult challenges - and the eve of my 64th year which, hopefully, holds stellar adventures on the horizon. Sounds good to me; I'm going for it!

(Photos: all from CU South, home of CU's cross-country course. Above, looking east at the sunrise. Below, looking southwest, west, and northwest toward the flatirons of Boulder.)

Low Ebb

I've not been full of a lot of vim and vinegar lately. Alas.

Consequently, my running has been rather sluggish. No pep. No zip. Alack.

However, I do continue to receive many a reminder of the joys of life 

- so no room for moaning and groaning.

For example: A couple of weeks ago, all of my Murphey cousins arrived in town to celebrate the marriage of Bill (son of Jim, the son of Helen, the sister of Paul, my dad...my dad and Aunt Helen were best of friends/best of siblings and that joy of kinship rubbed off on us Vaughan/Murphey cousins). Two of the Murphey cousins, Carolyn and Kathleen, stayed with us; the others were scattered around Boulder and Denver but we had many boisterous gatherings during the three days they were all here.  Truly a delight.

Murpheys & Vaughans feasting at the Gondolier

Boy cousins: Jim, Dave, Dan & John

Dan, Yi Lu, pjv, Kathleen & Carolyn - walking Boulder

Girl cousins: Kathleen, Paula & Carolyn (and Mister Taz)

 As for the running side of life. Yes, running has been sluggish, sometimes feeling more like work than play - a rarity for me. That said, this weekend's runs - Saturday with the guys, Sunday with the gals - reminded me that Boulder offers up a glorious venue for getting outside and reveling in life.

Saturday, along the South Boulder Creek Trail

Sunday, along the Coal Creek Trail

The New!

Long awaited bridge over South Boulder Creek

New Year! 2016

New Bridge!  Finally, the bridge over South Boulder Creek, linking the South Boulder Creek Trail and Bobolink, that was washed away during the Flood of 2013, has been replaced and is open for pedestrians!  It is a grand day for runners and walkers in Boulder!

New temperatures! After, what, almost two weeks of waking up to single digit temperatures, we have gotten above freezing. Lots of folks out walking, running, riding and...Boulder being Boulder...I saw folks playing tennis as I ran past some outdoor courts during our relatively balmy weather!

And the Big News as related to the running of pjv: a New Quest!
The hope is to run a trail (preferably a rail-to-trail trail) in every state in the union between now and December 31, 2017 (the year I turn 65). I had thought this would give me plenty of time so I could thoroughly enjoy the journey, but my bro-in-law Andy pointed out that's more than two trails per month average.  I'd best get hopping!  If anyone out there has suggestions for trails, do let me know!

Sensible? Ha!

Winter wonderland - Christmas week in Boulder

Apparently my running and my rational brain operate independently of each other.
After adding up my extremely paltry miles for Christmas week (after a week of rather paltry miles), I discovered I was 59 miles short of 200 for the month. 200 happens to be the standard I like to achieve each month - but, more than that, I really do not like to conclude anything (a week, a month, a year, a project) with a fizzle.

So what does my brain do? It rounds to 60, realizes there are 4 days left in the month/year, and calculates that 15 miles per day would get me to the desired 200. Now comes the disconnect between brain and running. I initially roll my eyes at the idea of 15 miles per day for 4 days but...

• Monday I run to my volunteer job as I do each Monday then run home via a circuitous route. I follow that with a run to campus/work and run home via a circuitous route. And at the end of the day, I have 15 miles. During the second run of the day, I wonder when I last ran 15 miles in a day.
• Tuesday I run Taz then run to meet up with a friend and we run a mid-length warm-up then do a workout of 3 x 8s/2s followed by a mid-length cool-down then a run to the bank then a glance at the watch so, what the heck, I did it yesterday so how about a run west (vs. east to home) and explore some trails to squeeze in a few more miles. I get home a few hours later logging another 15 mile day.
• Wednesday starts with another Taz run then a run to work then a run to meet Kendall. Not enough miles. 10 p.m. rolls around and Taz and I go out for a wee run through the neighborhood looking at lights. Still not enough miles, only 13.5.
• Thursday (that would be today) starts once again with a run with Taz. (By the way, all of these early morning runs have been in 5-to-7 degree temps on surfaces ranging from packed snow to ice to woohoo! the occasional clear spot of road or bike path.) That was followed immediately by running to meet my buddy for another speed workout. Today's version was 3 sets of 4 x 90s/90s with 5 active minutes between sets. Being so tantalizingly close to the needed 60 (it was some time during today's run that, by the way, I started wondering if I had even run a 60-mile week this year), I followed that workout with an hour+ of additional running, up some hills, along some trails, and some zigging and zagging with lots of mumbling to myself about 'just get it done.'  And so I did. 16.5 miles today for 60 miles in 4 days.

Now, for those of you familiar with my run to Michigan, running 15 miles per day for 4 days might not seem like much. However, this year has not exactly been a stellar year for running and my body has spent the rest of the day telling me that this was a bit of a stretch. Curiosity getting the better of me, I perused my log to see how often I had run 15+ miles in a day or 60 miles in a week. The answers?

• 15 miles in a day: 4 times this year. 
• 50-59 miles in a week: 19 times this year
• 60 miles in a week: this week is the first time this year. Nice to know I can still do it!

Taz - quite happy with all this running!