New Turf

5 miles this morning felt like hell. That's all I will say about that.

8 miles this afternoon went much better. We ran the new course. I'm not sure if I like it yet. It starts on the large open field across the road to the south of campus, loops around there a couple of times, then crosses the road and goes past the lake to the meadow. Everything is repeated in the opposite direction, finishing on the same field where it starts. The men's and women's courses are exactly the same except that the men run around that south field a bit more.

Speaking of that south field, we ought to come up with a name for it. Ash referred to it as the "desert" while we were running today because it's so exposed, with no shelter from the sun. I've been thinking of it as a sort of "Goose Territory" because of the two disgusting retention ponds and the fowl that inhabit them. A certain past incident involving geese also took place near this field. Overall it's definitely a more bare and brutal field. The ground is lumpy and not yet broken in, the grass is patchy, and there is little to look at except for the freeway, not that anyone would bother to check out the scenery with so much bird crap to dodge. In contrast the meadow is an almost peaceful square of (sometimes) taller grasses bordered on two sides by woods. Deer, Turkeys, hawks and sometimes even coyotes can be seen wandering through while you run its perimeter. You also get to dash through the forest upon entering and exiting.

I shouldn't fully judge this new course until I've raced on it. Then we'll see how it truly feels.
At least it's "spectator friendly."

(we all know that real spectators are more a part of the race than simple fans standing by and watching)