Makamah Woods

If I feel like running trails but don't feel like heading to Sunken Meadow, I usually end up across the street in the Makamah Preserve.  It has a nice three mile loop with plenty of hills to keep them interesting.  It's easy to tack on more miles - about halfway through there's a path out to Makamah Road which provides a few different options.

I took off the last few days due to a lingering pain in my ass, that is, literally, a pain in my ass. I've had a muscle knot since October that is more annoying than anything else.  My plan was to take off November and December to get rid of it, but succeeded only in taking off enough runs to lose conditioning while still running enough to prevent it from getting the rest it needed - a double fail, if you will.

In any case, this morning I set out through the woods on a mostly peaceful, somewhat icy run.  I took a detour down Makamah Road to the beach, coming back via Hayes Hill Road, a moderately steep, sweeping climb.  It's not quite as long as James Street and has an added bonus of a nice downhill on the other side, heading right back into the woods.

Dogs and walkers are not uncommon to pass in Makamah and today was no exception.  I normally say a friendly hello to the pups and their owners as well as an occasional scratch behind the ears.  The latter I typically reserve for the dogs...

This morning I came across a Great Dane and two women walking him.  Now, I don't actually speak dog, but I believe the conversation went like this:

Me:  "Good morning!"

In dog language, apparently this means:

"I am a juicy slab of meat, with rich, delicious gravy running through my veins."

Dog: "Woof!"

"Oh good...I'm feeling a bit peckish."

I chose not to stick around for breakfast and hightailed it on my way as his owner reigned him in.  I really do need to work on my speed...

26 miles down, 474 to go...