Run Ichabod, Run

 

“…He stopped, his heart pounding in fear. Before his startled eyes, a white mist burst forth from an unmarked grave and formed into a large horse carrying a headless rider.  Ichabod Crane let out a terrible scream as the horse leapt toward him at a full gallop. He took to his heels, running as fast as he could…”

Last Saturday, we found ourselves in “Sleepy Howell” for the Headless Horseman 5K. It was our first night race, which was pretty cool. We often train in the dark, but have never raced in it.

   The course was fun and fast, taking us through downtown and then lakeside and through a luminary-lit cemetery.

The headless horseman started things off, oddly, galloping away from us. I guess he was intimidated, as there were 600 of us.

Running in a hooded cloak and mask was about as comfortable as you might think, so I pulled the hood down and the mask off after the first quarter mile. A few people thought I was wearing a black dress as a costume. That’s ok. Black goes with everything.

I started at the front of the group, as is typically my strategy. I’d rather get passed by a few fast runners than have to pass hundreds of slower runners. Lined up along side me was superman, a zombie, a male nun with a baby stroller, who others around us and who knew him, assured us would still kick all of our asses, which he did.

Angela started a little further back. She has a more nuanced calculation when deciding where to place herself in the pack. It involves the BMI of the other competitors, how much crap they’re wearing, and the phase of the moon.

We both ran our hardest, and both of us ran paces we were proud of. Angela placed 7^th out of the 50 women in her age group, which is nothing to sneeze at. I ended up placing 2^nd in my age group and 25^th overall. There were a lot of fast runners. Many of them were young. I’m glad that I wasn’t in the 14-15 year old age group, for example, were my time would have earned me 8^th in my age group. Where do these kids come from?

Post race refreshment was fun, a mix of the usual stuff and Halloween candy, which was pretty cool.

Overall, it was a fun race and a good time. We’ll be back next year.

Up North Birthday Bustle

It’s fall in Michigan. It’s a time of year when we Michiganders are drawn to the mythical “up north,” which is a point 2 or more hours north of where you started, if you are anywhere in the Lower Peninsula, plus all of the Upper Peninsula. The fall colors are spectacular and the weather can still be pleasant.

And so last Friday we dropped off the old guys at the farm and then headed “up north” with Django, Maebe, and Cadence for a long birthday weekend (mine).

We set up camp at Interlochen, which is on a sand bar between two glacial lakes. From there, we embarked on our many adventures, because that’s how we roll on “vacation.”

The weather was beautiful; sunny; 70’s. The leaves were about at peak color. There were, surprisingly, no crowds.

Our first activity was to drive a little farther northwest to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We hiked up to Pyramid Point, a several hundred foot sand bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands, once a stopping point for steamships en-route to Chicago.

The dogs seemed to enjoy their first hike. Cadence wore his backpack and carried water for all of us. Django and Maebe were more than happy to let Cadence be the sole backpacker. I think they’re just jealous because their backpacks look pretty lame compared to Cadence’s.

This part of the state is known for its massive sand dunes and the clear blue water of Lake Michigan. It was once also known for expansive stands of massive pine trees. All but a few of the trees in the state were cut down to rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871, which occurred 139 years ago on the exact date of our visit, October 8. The remnant of one of the surviving stands occupies a small section of the park at which we camped, and so in the evening, when we returned from Sleeping Bear, we took a walk through the forest.

We capped off the evening with a nice campfire and got to bed a little early, because the next day, my birthday, I thought it would be fun to celebrate by running a 10K trail race on part of a popular trail system north of Traverse City, the cherry capital of the world.

On Saturday we were up at 5 to get everyone fed and to get out to the trail head in time to have our pick of parking space. Picked up my race packet before dawn.

When the sun came up, a wonderful scene was painted with red, yellow, and orange maple leaves against a backdrop of clear blue sky.

While Django and Maebe rested in the car, Angela and Cadence were there to see me off on my run and to cheer me on when I approached the finish line.

Seeing Angela and Cadence really helped me to finish strong.

 

The race itself was tough, but nice, because it was so beautiful. There were more than a few hills and it was actually 2K more than advertised, but some of my strongest running was actually in those last 2K. I ran hard and my reward was a 3^rd place finish in my new age group.

When we got back to the car, Angela presented me with a very thoughtful gift. She got an artist/blogger/agility enthusiast we follow to draw a Maebe “logo”, which Angela then had printed on a number of clothing items and a tote bag. It was the coolest gift.

I changed clothes and then off we went, back onto the trails, for a 5K hike with all of the dogs. It was nice because Angela got to see some of the same trails I had just run through and to appreciate the trees in their colorful glory.

During the hike we came across a stream and Cadence got to get his feet wet. That dog loves water.

Keeping Cadence’s love of water in mind, our next stop was back at Sleeping Bear, on a trail that brought us to the shore of Lake Michigan. The five of us trekked over a few low lying sand dunes and were rewarded by a virtually private beach that went for miles in either direction. Maebe and Django relaxed while Cadence had his first encounter with waves. I bet he couldn’t believe it. All of that splashing and he didn’t even have to cause any of it. He just stared and bowed and barked. We could have probably left him there all day and he wouldn’t have moved, but eventually, it was time to move on.

Back at camp we hiked the virgin pine forest again, had a nice meal, a tasty beverage, and a warm fire. It was a perfect birthday.

   

On Sunday we awoke to an amazing sunrise over Green Lake. I gathered some wood for a morning fire to keep us warm while we at pancakes.

After another virgin forest hike we packed up and headed back home with the dogs and our “Up North” memories.

Fall Outing from a different perspective

The gang headed up north this weekend for the annual fall outing at Dog Scout camp for a weekend of hiking, playing, sitting by the campfire, playing games, and of course, braving the spooky trail.

  My two favorite things on this outing outside of the usual dog stuff are large campfires and the spooky trail. The spooky trail is basically a quarter mile loop around the pond lined with what looks like the entire contents of the Halloween section of a dollar  store strategically placed for maximum fright. There are lights. There are sound effects. There are talking vampires. There are ghosts and witches and pirates.

View Full Album

Angela and I have been involved with the Dog Scouts for about 9 years at this point. We started out as participants in camps and outings, looking to others to guide those experiences. Over time, our roles have started to change to the point that we are just as much contributors as participants.

Now I build the fires instead of just sit by them. We both, for the first time, set up the spooky trail on our own. I even had to learn how to drive a quad (including how to back up with a trailer attached). I am on the board of directors and teach the overnight camping merit badge at camp. Angela has actually created a canine fitness merit badge that people can earn and in the process, end up with a healthier happier dog.

Our experience is still a rewarding one, it’s now just from a different perspective. We get to watch people have their “ah-ha” moments about why you train using positive reinforcement and punishment; see them experience a variety of activities with their dog for the first time; enjoy the warmth and companionship offered by nightly campfires; and for this outing, get into the Halloween spirit a little early with a stroll through a haunted forest. From our new perspective we can appreciate more fully why there need to be organizations like they Dog Scouts of America, enjoy what we have gained from our involvement, and then give back by helping others experience some of the same things.