This ended up being a late run that was quite nice for ending a full day. The mother deer and her two fawn ate nuts just a few feet off of the cemetary trail for most of the run, only glancing up occasionally as I passed by.
4.09 miles.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Run for October 20th Reaches 1,000
Here I am just after running mile number 1,000 for the year.
ONE THOUSAND MILES..........I reached this plateau for the year in my first mile of tonight's run. This was quicker than last year, when I reached 1,000 miles on Christmas Day.
Of course one thousand miles was my original goal for the year, but I left myself with the option of increasing the amount if I ran well. Now my focus is on 2,000 KM for the year.
I did this run in the cemetary and two deer were my only witnesses to the 1,000 mile feat. They waved their white flags as they ran away.
4.30 miles.
ONE THOUSAND MILES..........I reached this plateau for the year in my first mile of tonight's run. This was quicker than last year, when I reached 1,000 miles on Christmas Day.
Of course one thousand miles was my original goal for the year, but I left myself with the option of increasing the amount if I ran well. Now my focus is on 2,000 KM for the year.
I did this run in the cemetary and two deer were my only witnesses to the 1,000 mile feat. They waved their white flags as they ran away.
4.30 miles.
Run for October 19th
Todays run was on the Blackwater Creek Trail. There was a special ceremony going on at the Awareness Garden Trail entrance. I stopped and observed this for a while.
The run was nice and lasted 6.48 miles.
The run was nice and lasted 6.48 miles.
Run for Occtober 18th
I ran out to McConville Road on a sunny but cool Saturday morning.
This was 6.55 miles.
This was 6.55 miles.
Run for October 17th
A rainy evening run that was hampered by two elements. I ate supper JUST before going on my run and then there were 10 deer in the cemetary. I slowed down to walk by them so that they wouldn't get scared and run away. While the gesture was noble, it really slowed my time. This was not a problem though. It was fun to see how comfortable they were with me.
4.48 miles.
4.48 miles.
Run for October 16th
Night before last was a nice evening to run. There were nine deer feeding in the cemetary. They were fun to watch as they bounded off in every direction to get away from me. The run was fine, even though it was a tough one from the start.
Tonight's run was a little slow because I stopped twice to watch the deer. Tonight it was 6 deer that I saw.
I ran 5.06 miles.
Tonight's run was a little slow because I stopped twice to watch the deer. Tonight it was 6 deer that I saw.
I ran 5.06 miles.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Deer, Deer, Deer
Many of my runs at this time of the year is done in a cemetary that is located only 3/10ths of a mile away from my house. It has several paved roads that I use to get in my mileage. Not only is it a nice tranquil setting but running there allows me to stay off the busy streets at this time of day when many people are heading home from work.
The cemetary has several large trees that produce some nice acorns and as a result they attract both the squirrels and the deer. I have been able to identify that there are at least 12 deer that are living in the woods around the cemetary. This includes at least one buck (possibly two), four doe and about seven fawn.
The size of these deer are considerably smaller than the ones that I have been used to seeing when living in the North. Even the largest of these would only be 100 pounds. The fawns are several months old but still only about 30 pounds. They easily can be hidden in the cemetary behind a small grave marker; they are that small.
Being regular in my running there each evening, combined with the attraction of this ample supply of nuts, the deer have become more and more familiar with me and are not as quick to run away. Within the last week, a mother and two fawn have started to stay close to my path and only look up as I pass by them with each loop of the course. Every night I run and every night this family is there. Probably because of the fact I do keep passing them several times during the same run, their confidence in feeling safe with me has increased. I have mixed emotions about this. While I personally am no threat to their safety, there definitely would be others in the community who would love to hunt these beautiful deer. Most likely several of them will be killed while straying away from the cemetary onto the busy roads that are close by.
The cemetary has several large trees that produce some nice acorns and as a result they attract both the squirrels and the deer. I have been able to identify that there are at least 12 deer that are living in the woods around the cemetary. This includes at least one buck (possibly two), four doe and about seven fawn.
The size of these deer are considerably smaller than the ones that I have been used to seeing when living in the North. Even the largest of these would only be 100 pounds. The fawns are several months old but still only about 30 pounds. They easily can be hidden in the cemetary behind a small grave marker; they are that small.
Being regular in my running there each evening, combined with the attraction of this ample supply of nuts, the deer have become more and more familiar with me and are not as quick to run away. Within the last week, a mother and two fawn have started to stay close to my path and only look up as I pass by them with each loop of the course. Every night I run and every night this family is there. Probably because of the fact I do keep passing them several times during the same run, their confidence in feeling safe with me has increased. I have mixed emotions about this. While I personally am no threat to their safety, there definitely would be others in the community who would love to hunt these beautiful deer. Most likely several of them will be killed while straying away from the cemetary onto the busy roads that are close by.
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