After last weekends run at McLean, I began thinking if the weather kept cool, and I feel like I did on Saturday, I would attempt a Marathon this weekend.

That being said, the weather was holding, I rested through the week more or less, and I took a late afternoon 3-mile jog in McLean Refuge to loosen up the legs.  We'll see if it works.

Music 2019...

Effort #38,  "Transparent Radiation", the tenth piece from the Dark Heart Duo's "Summer Solstice Session" of June 21, 2019.

Selfless man slip by my side,

Uttering words about the turning tide...

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #22 for 2019...  "The Drowning Pool", Ross MacDonald's 1950 second in the Lew Archer detective series.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime Edition Cover

 

Work trip to Templeton and Uxbridge, Massachusetts through the day, with a brief amount of time to stop at Purgatory Chasm on the way home for a hike through the wonders.

Also, on this day, I've had success completing marathons.  The first was in 2008 and the second was a year later in 2009.

In 2008, Tippi and I finished Metacomet II, which began at Phelps Road in Suffield, and covered north to Route 57 and south to Route 20.  Running time of 5:32:00.  This was my 37th and Tippi's 13th completed marathon.

In 2009, Wuzzam joined Tippi and I at Tunxis II (South), which meant we ran from Route 219 to Satan's Kingdom, and also north to Roberts Brook I believe.  Our time was 6:04:44.  This was my 42nd and Tippi's 15th marathon.

Music 2019...

Effort #37,  "Jon Blows It", ninth piece from the Dark Heart Duo's "Summer Solstice Session" of June 21, 2019.

Additionally, I rode back and forth to work on the bicycle today as well for 11.0-miles.

Another outstanding day for weather, took a recovery run along the Metacomet from Phelps Road south for 4-miles.

West Suffield Mountain

Outstanding morning for a long run, cool (60's, sunny, with no humidity).  Wuzzam was hoping for something in the 12 - 15 mile range, without too many steep ups or downs.  The answer would be at McLean, where the climbs are not massive, and the trails are as soft and well maintained as anywhere in Connecticut.

We rambled around for 14.7-miles, covering ground at a decent pace.  There was only about a 3/4-mile segment where we repeated ourselves on trail, which explains how extensive the trail network is in McLean.  This was a really good run and something we can build on going forward.

Later in the evening, DL and I drove out to the Iron-Horse Music Lounge to listen to Savoy Brown play rock and blues.  Excellent show, great time.

Pine-Needle path on the North Trail

Wuzzam entering the Eddy Trail

Brook Crossing along the Eddy Trail

Second Brook Crossing along the Eddy Trail

Rock Outcrop area on the Eddy Trail

Fern at at their height of growth in McLean

Wuzzam at Mile Eleven

An after-work drive to Cornwall for a continuation of my Connecticut Mohawk Trail Adventure.  Began at the entry to Mohawk State Forest, on Route 4, and managed my way for a total of 8.8-miles.

Nice sections of trail, went over Red Mountain and Overlook twice each.  Some extended road section as well, which is a bummer as there seems to be plenty of woods for an alternative (gaining permission must be difficult).

Large Split Boulder on Mohawk Trail

Red Mountain

At Johnson Road

Single Boulder at the top of Overlook Mountain

6' high Stonewall along the Mohawk Trail

6' high Stonewall along the Mohawk Trail

Between the heat, humidity, and hard driving rain throughout the week, as well as a rest for my sore piriformis muscle, and a very busy week anyhow, I decided to take Monday through Thursday off of running and biking.  Hopefully, beginning Friday and continuing through Sunday, I get back at it.

In the meanwhile, I have a "...so far" map of my completed sections of the Appalachian Trail in northwestern Connecticut and southwestern Massachusetts completed.

Music 2019...

Effort #36,  "Interstellar Overdrive", eighth piece from the Dark Heart Duo's "Summer Solstice Session" of June 21, 2019.

Additionally, I rode back and forth to work on the bicycle today as well for 11.0-miles.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #21 for 2019...  "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", Stieg Larsson's 2005 introduction to Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime Edition Cover

Later Edition

Movie Tie-In Edition

Music 2019...

Effort #35,  "Twenty-five Minutes", seventh piece from the Dark Heart Duo's "Summer Solstice Session" of June 21, 2019.

Additionally, I rode back and forth to work on the bicycle today as well for 11.0-miles.

Excellent visit with the folks today, and on the way back to Connecticut I stopped off at Dubuque State Forest in Hawley, Massachusetts to run the old Hallockville Orchard snowshoe course.

The route was as remembered, it's been a few years and normally snow-covered.  There are two areas where beaver have influenced the terrain, it looks like these two spots along the road may be submerged until early summer once things dry out a bit.  It was again brutally humid, and the 3.5-miles was more than enough for today.

Sunflowers at Folks

Looking closer...

Closest!

Sunflowers

 The "Farmstand"

Entry to Klingholt Road in Dubuque State Forest

Still in a "building" phase for distance, today would get me back out to a favorite spot, Tunxis State Forest in Barkhamsted and Hartland, Connecticut.

Wuzzam was attending and keeping me company;  this forest is loaded with memories of our last two dogs, Sam and Tippi, and we were blessed with dozens of spots that brought back incredibly wonderful memories of our two running partners.  Most specifically, all the pools of water large enough to hold the two of them, they never missed an opportunity to dunk themselves regardless of the time-of-year.

Today we had plans to run from Route 219 out around the Pine Mountain and back.  This is somewhere around 9-miles, but as we approached the turn Wuzzam asked about extending down to Roberts Brook, asking "...how much further would that be?"

Excellent idea, we made the trip down to the water, and coming up out of the ravine I started to really feel good about this run.  I had energy, I was enthused, and I felt strong.  It seemed as though Wuzzam was feeling it too, as he kept up on the climbs out of Roberts Brook Ravine and up Pine Mountain.

We ended the run at 10.94-miles, which was pretty sweet as it was humid as hell.  I have never seen Wuzzam sweated through his shorts in the twenty-plus years of running with him, but today he was.  I was soaked through from about the 1-mile mark until finish.  It was a fantastic start to the day.

Wuzzam climbing out of Roberts Brook Ravine

Signage for Pine Mountain

Looking off Pine to the east, sky filled with fog

 At the top of the Indian Council Caves

Old moss and fern

Here are my accomplishments for July 2019.

July 2019 High Points:

• Hart's Pond Hill, Metacomet Trail, West Suffield, CT
• Copper / Peak Mountain, Metacomet Trail, East Granby, CT
• Lion's  Head, Appalachian Trail, Salibury, CT
• Bear Mountain (from the south), Appalachian Trail, Salisbury, CT
• Peck's Brook Shelter Climb, Gould Trail, Mt Greylock, Adams, MA
• Riga Junction, Appalachian Trail, Salibury, CT
• Bear Mountain (from the north), Appalachian Trail, Salibury, CT
• West Suffield Mountain, Metacomet Trail, Suffield, CT
• Soapstone Mountain, Somers, CT
• Race Mountain, Appalachian Trail, Egremont, MA
• Sages Ravine to Northwest Road, Egremont, MA
• Nick's Hill, Metacomet Ridge, West Suffield, CT
• Hurricane Brook Hill, Tunxis State Forest, East Hartland, CT
• Trillum Hill, Tunxis State Forest, East Hartland, CT

Additionally, I rode the bike to-and-from work again today!