Easy Run and VT100 Weather

I went out last night for an easy 2.5 miles with my son and our dogs. My son was pretty worked over from his workout on Sunday, so we did 2.5 instead of our planned 3-4 miles. After running with him, I still wanted to get in some more miles, for a total of 6 or so. I headed back down the road, but I'm pretty tired of running back and forth on my dirt road. I've been avoiding the trails because of mosquitoes and deer flies, but decided I needed a change. So, I turned left and headed into the woods.

Within a mile, I'd found a patch of chanterelles (wild mushrooms). I'm going back tonight or tomorrow to pick them. I saw a few turkeys and one partridge hen (In Vermont, if you call a grouse a grouse rather than a partridge, you are instantly known to be a flatlander). There were a few mosquitoes and a few deer flies, but overall, the bugs weren't too bad. I ran past a site where I've found morels in the past, but no luck last night.

I ended up doing 6.5 hilly miles at a relaxed pace. Sometimes, I get so focused on how many miles that I've planned to run, that I forget how peaceful and relaxing a casual run through the woods can be. Even though that's what I allegedly love about ultras, I need to be reminded sometimes.

This morning, I heard the first detailed forecast for the weekend on the radio. If only the race could be today, everyone would be happy. Today is going to be sunny, low humidity, with temps in the mid-70s. Friday and Saturday are going to be very different. By Friday, humidity levels and temperatures will be rising. There is a chance for severe thunderstorms and microbursts on both days, which could make race day interesting. Temps on Saturday will approach 90F with high humidity. Two years ago, temps were in the mid to high 80s with high humidity, and it didn't bother me too much, but many runners complained about the conditions that year. Maybe it's because I live here and I'm used to those conditions. In 2005 however, things were much worse, with temps in the mid-90s and high humidity. I volunteered and paced that year, and I saw a lot of people struggling early in the race. Hopefully, the temps will stay down somewhat and any storms won't be too severe.