The KodaFit Blog

Before I get to my report on the Layton Triathlon, I think it’s important to share some stuff about the time leading up to it.  Lets begin with the plan…

After a week of minimal sleep, my plan was to get to bed early on Friday night, wake up at about 4:30 on Saturday morning.  Get packed and leave for Layton at 5:45.  I would then arrive shortly before the transition area opened, giving me my pick of transition spot and then 2 hours to warm up, visualize the course and generally just get in the right mindset.

Before I begin, it’s probably also important to note that there were no adverse affects to the family due to the events which will hereafter unfold…

Friday night actually went fairly smoothly.  I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to, but as I climbed into bed around 10pm, my bike was clean and lubed and ready to load and my head and legs were nicely shaved as well.  An episode of Flashpoint later, and I was ready to go to sleep.

“BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP”  “BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP”

I was awoken with a start around 11:30pm.  My dear wife was freaking out.  Initially I thought it was the smoke detectors, but it turns out that it was the Carbon Monoxide detector in our room.  I staggered out of bed and opened the window, while my wife grabbed it and tried to shut it off.  After a few minutes, we finally got the awful noise stopped.

None of the kids had budged at this point - including the one who had fallen asleep on our floor, not 5 feet from where it was located.

I WAS TICKED!!  I hadn’t slept well all week, and now I get woken up by a stupid alarm, and I was feeling cranky, shaky and actually really nauseous as well.  I climbed back in bed and tried to go back to sleep, while my wife continued to worry about it…

Gradually I started to realize that perhaps the nausea, the fatique and my general dopiness could actually be a case of CO poisoning.  I went down to my computer and started researching.  My symptoms all matched, and seeing as I replaced our water heater earlier this year, I guess perhaps that was the cause.  The only thing that didn’t add up was that the detector was supposed to have 4 quicks beeps which would sound every 30 seconds - not the constant squeal we had heard.

Leaving all the windows open, I drove over to Walmart shortly after midnight and purchased a new detector with a digital readout.

I arrived home, set it up, and within minutes had confirmed that CO levels in the house were  0ppm on all levels of the house.

We suspect that a combination of dry wall dust, caused by recent home improvements, combined with a basket of toys, which the kids had left up against the sensor, likely caused the unit to either become unplugged and/or malfunction.

At 1:30 we were finally ready to get back to bed, but we were both so wired, we couldn’t sleep.

So we watched an episode of House Hunters International, and finally shortly after 2am, felt like we were ready to sleep again.

2 and a half hours before my alarm went off… Or at least was supposed to go off…

I slept quite well, until I stirred, noticed sunlight in the windows and saw 6:12 on the clock.

AAAAAAAACK!!!!

And thus began the morning of the race.

I managed to get dressed, get my transition bag  packed and get my nutrition organized all before 6:45.

By 6:55 I was at the venue, and thankfully, my spot of choice was still available.

The day went far better from then on, but I’ll include that in my race report tomorrow.

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So I’m lying in the dentist’s chair last Thursday afternoon, and flipped through the channels to ESPN.   I don’t usually follow too much in the sports world, but I have been interested in the World Cup.  So I checked out the scores and all of that, and then find myself watching a story about an epic 11 hour long tennis match.

Before I continue…  My apologies to any tennis fans who I may offend by saying what needs to be said.

The commentator is going on and on about how this 11 hour tennis game has gone on longer than some baseball games, and is the longest in the sports world today.

“Oh really!” think I to myself…  “You guys have never heard of a little event called…

THE IRONMAN!!

But wait…  It turns out that this 11 hour long tennis match was actually spread out over 3 days!  Which means that these guys got to take breaks and actually get a full nights sleep in the midst of the 11 hour match.  And not just 1 night of sleep, but 2!!

And then after every couple of serves, they go over an sit in a chair, under an umbrella, wipe the sweat from their brows with a towel, and suck down on water and other beverages of their choice.

I’m sure they game took a toll on their bodies, and I’m sure there was a mental aspect to playing the same game for 3 days straight, but to say it’s the longest most grueling game in sports history…  I don’t think so!

In other news…  I’m horribly behind on my race reports, but to summarize the past two races:

The Shark Attack Triathlon was 2 weeks ago.  It was a pool sprint and the weather was cool and wet.  I had some challenges on race day, but ended up winning my age group!!

The Lunatic Triathlon was last Friday night.  It was a blast, although in hind sight, driving back from Price, Utah after the race was not the best idea.  I got home at 4am, and am still feeling the effects.  I felt like I did well.  It was reversed, so we ran first, and I felt good.  Wasn’t my fastest 5k ever, but I felt solid throughout, despite the uphill nature of the course, my recent 10 pound weight gain, and I believe it was at a little more altitude than I am used to.

T1 was quick and speedy and it was out onto the bike course.  It was dark, and a little hairy, but I passed a bunch of bikes, and only got passed by one.

T2 was insanely fast!  I came in with my feet out of my shoes, dropped the bike, my helmet, grabbed my goggles and sprinted to the pool.  I was 21st at that point.

The pool swim was worse than open water, as far as legs, arms and aquatic battles go.  They had us swim up and down the same lane, and oft-times I would pass someone as someone else was passing a swimmer in the opposite direction.  I’ll have to share the story of my ass being grabbed repeatedly as well.

I emerged 13th overall and 5th in my age group.  Actually there were only two age groups.  Over 30 and under 30.  Had it been traditional USAT age groupings, I would have gotten 2nd, and only been beaten by this guy -> Dane Rauschenberg Mr. 52 marathons in 52 weeks!

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Before I begin…  I’ve made an amendment to my last post.  It seems as though my cycling shoes may be too loose, resulting in symptoms which made me think they were too tight. I’m off for a ride in a few minutes with tighter shoes, and hopefully less pain…

And now…  Last nights offering for you:

In a rather shocking and unexpected twist, the case of Pantz v Leggs met with a rather sudden conclusion last week.  I would have spoken out sooner, but as I am sure you will observe the drama associated with the ending of this saga needed some time to sink and flush itself out.

Allow me to introduce you to the players in this interaction…

Pantz is a pair of beige dress pants, which I believe where purchased by myself from Walmart about 2 years ago.  If memory serves correctly, they were actually on the clearance rack, most likely for reasons which I, being a man did not understand at the time.  My sweet Mrs however has since explained that apparently the multi-pleated front is a fashion faux-pax, and statement which due to several season of “What Not To Wear”, I feel that she is more than qualified to make.

Leggs are my own two legs.  Somewhat hair and oddly lumpy around the knees.  They have a small scar right below the left knee and what looks to be a rather faint birth mark on my inside left thigh.  Me and legs have been through a great deal together, from hikes along the African coast to mountain trails in a rain forest.  They’ve been on 5 of the world’s 7 continents and are still going strong.  They were unfortunately the first victims of my recent bout with insane endurance pursuits.  When I started, they were beset with a fair amount of ankle and lower leg pain, and following the conclusion of my first 5k race, I was to discover that chaffing in the upper and inner thigh region had resulted in a nasty and rather blood patch of pain which took over a week to heal.

It was last Thursday when things started to go awry.  Me and some friends from work decided to use our lunch break to go on a walking tour of some neighborhoods in the Avenues district of Salt Lake City.  Seeing as it was only a walk, I opted to forgo the addition of compression shorts to my attire, something which has been an integral part of my exercise routine since the aforementioned chaffing incident of 2007.

The walk was very pleasant.  The sun was shining for part of it, and we got to see some rather quaint and unique homes.  Midway through however, a rather chilly wind picked up and ominous clouds appeared off in the distance.  It was about the point that we began to retrace our steps back to the office, when the weather change happened.  10 minutes later, the dark spots began to appear on the pavement as the precipitation commenced.  We went from a walk to a quick walk, to a jog, to a run, or as best as one can run when wearing dress clothes.

Part way down into Memory Grove to traverse over to the State Capital, I began to feel some tenderness down below.  I was hopeful that with a little weightloss since the chaffing incident, as well as more miles spent running that my legs would be able to withstand the friction a little better.  Pantz on the other hand, seemed determined to protest the running and the weather, but rubbing harder.

You’ll be please to know that Leggs held out well, and while there was some tenderness at the time, it was nothing which lasted very long.  It was a gallant effort by Pantz, but in the end he just wasn’t tough enough.

The final blow came several hours later as I walked from my cubicle to my car.  At one point in that journey, as decision may be make between jumping up a small retaining wall and taking a short cut, or going around the wall via some stairs and a short walkway.  We’re probably talking a savings of about 20 feet with this shortcut, and maybe 10 seconds in time savings at the most.

I can run a marathon, and train upwards of 30 miles running and 100 miles biking a week, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to stretch myself and walk those extra 20 feet to get to my car.  And so I opted for the jump over the wall.

And that was when it happened…

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

In a shocking and somewhat embarrassing conclusion, Leggs got one up on Pantz and literally ripped him a new one.  I was left with the remaining portion of my walk to the car torn between reaching down to see just how bad it was, and thus drawing attention to the fact that I was walking around in ripped pants, or simply walking as nonchalantly as possible and hoping no-one would notice.

Pantz has since been relegated to the trash, and earlier today made his way via government funded transport to the Davis County landfill.

Leggs are still going strong and spent lunchtime on the same roads as last week, but this time resting securely in a pair of compression shorts.

I do have pictures of the aftermath, but am hesitant in posting them since…  Well, let’s be honest here, I’m not exactly a 19 year old swimsuit model, and so I think the appeal of underwear shots of yours truly might be limited at best.

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For my first triathlon, way back when, I didn’t own a decent bike nor did I possess a pair of cycling shoes.  I borrowed a bike, and purchased a pair of pedals with clips.  You know, the type with the plastic toe cap and straps around the sides.

That first race I think my T2 time was likely less than 10 seconds.  I ran in, racked the bike and since I was already wearing my running shoes, I was gone - if only the run itself had gone better!!

I got my bike back in 2008.  It’s a beautiful road bike with a full carbon frame.  At the same time, I also purchased a pair of cycling shoes.  They’re really nice shoes, and since I paid about $20 more than I pay for my running shoes, they had better be!

They’re well vented and very streamlined.  They are however rather uncomfortable.  They’re great for a ride less than 30 miles when the air temperature is reasonably, but if there is any chill in the air, my toes usually go numb.  And the point of contact with the pedal, usually gets tender after a while.

With IronMan approaching, and money not being very plentiful, I had an idea this morning, which I’m considering…

What if I replace the pedals on my racing bike with the old squirrel cages for IronMan.  That way I can bike in an older pair of very comfortable running shoes, and hopefully arrive at T2 with less pain.

What do you think?

Edited to add:

Thanks for the comments so far…  I went online early this morning to see about getting a new pair of shoes, in case this idea doesn’t pan out.  And if found the following on this site …

The most common problem (and hardest to avoid) with cycling specific footwear is buying it too big. Movement is the enemy. In a strange irony the symptoms of cycling shoes being too big makes you think they are too small. Numb feet, hot spots under the ball of the foot, blackened toenails and even blisters are symptoms of cycling shoes that are allowing minor movements of the foot inside the shoe. If the shoes were tighter and restricted the movement some or all of these symptoms would disappear.

I’ve been loosening my shoes to try and fix the numbness and hot spots…  Perhaps I’ve been exacerbating the problem…

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I know I’ve been slacking with this blog, but it wasn’t until I checked to see when my last post was that I realized that it has been over 3 weeks…  ACK!!!

Things have been pretty busy of late.  Work has gotten a little more involved, and my training has really been ramping up.  Both of which are things which I’m counting as positive changes in my life.

Good things have been happening however…  I’ve noticed a pretty significant improvement in all aspects of my training, from my swimming to the intensity and duration of my run and cycling sessions.

There are some other exciting things coming on the home front as well - which I hope to announce in the next few weeks (And it DOES NOT involves any more little Mike’s - just so you know!).

A rather small, but none-the-less exciting event occurred last week.  WARP -a local racing company which puts on the BAM and BASH triathlons did a twitter give-away.  It was something I was ready for, and which I almost missed at the last minute.  As luck would have it, I happened to refresh my twitter page, just seconds after it was posted, and after some blazing fast internet searching and a quick email to the organizer…

I WON!!!

The prize was a gift basket from TriSwim, which I may write about more in the future - They have awesome products!!  But included in the basket, which arrived Friday, was a can of TriSlide - their lubricating spray to assist in wetsuit removal and help ward off chaffing as well.

I did a 64 mile bike session on Saturday night, and prior to beginning, sprayed my inner thighs with the TriSlide.  It didn’t look like much, and I couldn’t really feel it, but I also didn’t feel any chaffing or rubbing, so I’m thinking that’s a pro on both counts.

Last night as I was brushing my teeth, my sweet wife commented about how our floor seemed really slick in one particular spot, and that a couple of the kids had wiped out on it when walking over said spot.

I thought that was a little strange and then I remembered the label, and a small warning at the bottom of the instructions, describing how surfaces could become incredibly slippery when sprayed.  I walked over in my socks to check it out, and almost lost it myself.  It’s really slick stuff!!  Apparently my aim wasn’t as good as it should have been when applying the product the night before.

A couple of things I learned from this:

1. It’s a good idea to read labels and take them seriously.
2. TriSlide is easy to remove from floors with soap and water (thankfully!).
3. TriSlide should probably be applied outside or on carpet - not on laminate flooring!
4. TriSlide is slicker than snot!

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This post doesn’t really have much to do with exercise, fitness or anything triathlon related and while this was a sad and frustrating experience, I share it with you in the hopes that someone may be able to find some glimmer of joy in the face of my misfortune…  I actually wrote this up last night.

On Friday night we rented a couple of movies from RedBox. For those who are unaware, it’s an automatic DVD rental system. The deal is that you pay a dollar a day for the movie, and you get to keep it until 9pm.

My initial experience with RedBox some years ago was pretty bad, but I’ve lightened up recently, mostly due to the fact that it’s one of the few options left for people who like to rent movies.

Anyway, so Friday night, among a couple of other movies, we rented the Eddie Murphy movie - Imagine That.

Friday night, while the wife and I started watching our movie, the kids started watching this one. Kid #4 however didn’t want to share a couch with Kid #3, who then irritated Kid #1, so he threw a fit, which upset Kid #2, who started to cry and throw a fit, and yada, yada, yada, I ended up shutting it all down and sending them to bed.

Saturday we didn’t get home until close to midnight - me and wifey had a wee date to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and Sunday, it just didn’t happen either.

So tonight, being Monday, I declared to be FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT. It started off rough. I ended up on a quick bike ride with my gym buddy, and then there was dinner, topped off with apple pie (part of the reason we missed the movie last night).

Finally at about 7pm we got things rolling. A couple of interruptions here and there, and by the time it was 8:50pm it looked like things were about to wrap up. I waited by the DVD Player with my shoes on, and car keys at the ready.

8:56pm the movie finished and as the credits started rolling, I hit eject, grabbed the disc and snapped it into the case I was holding open at the ready, and proceeded to fly downstairs, into my car and off to the Gas Station, which has a RedBox system in front of it.

8:58pm, I pulled up in front of the machine, left the car running, lights on and all, and ran over to the machine.

RebBox uses a touch screen to control the system. I should also point out that it was raining pretty hard, and I can now state with fair certainty that touch screens do not work when wet!

I tried drying the screen with my sleeve - which is still wet as I type, but to no avail.

Realizing I was up a creek, with less than a minute to go, I ran back to the car, slid out of the parking lot (Literally) and gunned the engine to fly over to Walmart. In case you were wondering, I drive a 95 Geo Prizm, with a 1.8 liter engine. And that little engine was squealing with all 23.3 horsepower it has.

8:59, I arrive in the Walmart parking lot, courtesy of a light which turned green right when I needed it to.

Now having to lock the doors, I lost valuable seconds, but then ran as fast as I could into the store, narrowly missing being hit by a car, and completely soaking my shoes as I ran through the big puddle in front of the store.

I flew by the Walmart greeter, “Hi, Howzit going!” and whilst trying not to slip on the floor, sprinted like Usain Bolt for the RedBox machine.

And as luck would have it, someone was there first.

Lets see, should I get this movie? Let me read the synopsis… Hmmmm… No let’s look at the next page…. Oh, that one looks good… Is there someone breathing heavily behind me?

He turns and looks at me, gives me a crusty and returns to what he is doing….

Let’s see, perhaps I could try searching by Genre… Oh let’s look at this video… ooops, clicked the wrong one, better go back… Ooops back to far… Now, how did I get to that one again…

I’m torn… Part of me wants to strangle the guy.. FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!! MAKE A DECISION ALREADY!!! And the rest of me, is slowly accepting the fact that I’m going to have to pay another dollar ( plus tax ) for the privilege of standing here, while Mr. I Can’t decide what movie to get MAKES UP HIS FREAKING MIND!!!!

Finally I think he picks a movie, slowly reaches for his wallet, scans his card and completes his transaction.

I return my movie at 9:03pm. Slowly walking out of Walmart, wishing the greeter a good night. Slowly jog through the ran, not even bothering to avoid the puddle, and commence my drive of shame home…

All because I was trying to save a lousy dollar, which apparently lost even more value on the world market today…

On the plus side, I would recommend Imagine That. Eddie Murphy does a great job, and it really makes you think about your priorities, but in a good way! I need to get me some princesses!!

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Sorry folks!  I’ve been a bad blogger of late.  Seems that when you have a nice full life going on that would provide plenty of blog fodder, you lose the time to blog about said life…

More blog posts will be coming, but to tide you over (because I know you’re all itching for some Koda news…)

Finished the Layton Tri - the Swim, Bike, Run, Repeat one, which was unique to say the least!!

Finished my first Half Iron Distance Tri in 5:50 - It had a shortened swim and plenty of wind, rain and hail

I’ve also installed new flooring in the Koda household, been swimming in the 3rd saltiest body of water on the planet and in the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping to be competing as part of a team for the inaugural Red Rock Relay in Southern Utah.

All very exciting, and hopefully will include plenty of pictures as well!

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Well, it’s been about 5 days since the marathon, and I can almost walk completely normally.

It was an interesting race.  The first half went well, then second half went not as well.  I’m not upset with my result, but considering I was hoping for a sub 4 hour time, 4:36 was a bit of a let down.  Needless to say I learned a lot!!!

I’m going to post a full report soon, but until then…

Individual Results are here

Photographs are here

And I also have an initial race report here

It would appear that my times were pretty consistent within my division. Despite feeling worse, my photo’s look better than they did for the half marathon last year and I’m planning a whole post on RaceVine.com - a new site I was introduced to this week.

And in case you were wondering… The yellow bandanna…

I’ve started running with something on my head over the past 6 months. Initially it was a rather tacky, yet cheap white headband from Wally World - I’m assuming I looked like some funky throw-back to the late seventies! Then I got a running hat for the BAM Triathlon - Don’t feel entirely right wearing it, since I haven’t done BAM yet, but I really, really like it.

I would have worn the BAM hat, but it’s not very distinct - I mean it’s a nice hat, but it’s Navy Blue and Red - not really eye catching… I needed something eye catching, because last year after waiting in the crowds with 4 rather rambunctious kids, my wife was able to catch the back of my head as I ran by her. So I opted for the bright yellow bandanna.

It helped, I think! What also helped is that she was on the route, she had help from some extended family members, and by the time I got to them, I knew my time was shot, so I got to pause for a hug and exchange some pleasantries - which may have included… Something about needing a ride to the finish line!

Stay tuned… More race report and more photos to come - as well as some additional photos from RAGE!

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This a a topic I’ve been exploring for a number of years now, not specifically spirituality as it pertains to running, but spirituality in general.  In posting this, I will be the first to admit that I don’t know much and so what I share is my opinion and feelings on the subject.  I mean no offense to anyone or any organization, and would hope that none is taken, be the reader someone who considers themselves religious, atheist, agnostic or identifies with any type of organization that might be so affiliated.

I think there is a marked difference between religion and spirituality.  From what I have observed, religion would seem to be more concerned with the outward demostration of spirituality, and partaking in various rituals, rights and other activities which in most cases may be used to reflect or enhance spirituality, but may not necessarily always be related.

Spirituality on the other hand would appear to be a very personal and internal thing.  It has to do with how the person views themselves, as well as their relationship to others, to the world around them, and if their belief system includes the belief in a divine presence, then the relationship to that as well.

In identifying a difference between religion and spirituality, I should probably also point out that there are many religious people who are themselves very spiritual, and religion is used to enhance their personal spiritual experience.  I believe there are also many religious people who have minimal contact with a personal spiritual experience, and perhaps a similar number of highly spiritual individuals, who choose not to participate in religious ceremonies.

I believe firmly that  each individual has a right to choose for themselves and that we as a species have no right to remove that right from a person, nor condemn the choices of a person who exercises that right.  But enough of that!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the impact that running and for that matter, any type of endurance activity in which I engage, has on my life.  There are a couple of things which these activities have given me.

1. Catharsis -  I actually only found out what this meant a few weeks ago.  It basically means purging of the body.  In the way that a catheter purges the bowels, I’ve found that running, cycling and swimming each have a purging effect on the emotional side of who I am.  In recent years, as I have tried to understand more of who I am and where I came from, running has somehow allowed me to process things more efficiently.  When the stresses of life become too much, all it takes is a couple of miles of good hard running, and things start looking up.  Someone who knew me well as a child remarked recently that I tend to hold things in, allow them to hold me back and destroy me.  Not so since I started running!
2. Relationships - My favorite place to run and bike is an island on the Great Salt Lake.  It is stocked with Bison, Antelope, Coyotes and a host of other animals and birds.  It is a State Park and is in pristine condition.  When I run out there especially, I feel a connection to the world around me.  We’re not aliens invading a foreign planet, the earth is part of who we are and we are part of it.  We share a great responsibility to respect our place in the world in relation to other things.
3. Humility - As I ran the last 100 yards of the St. George marathon last year, I was filled with an inordinate amount of pride.  I had done it.  I had trained and finished the race.  I was a marathoner, and no-one could take that away from me.  I was also in an incredible amount of discomfort and pain, but that seemed to evaporate as I crossed the finish line.  You would think that perhaps such an achievement could have the effect to turn one into a pompous asshole.  I would hope that hasn’t happened to me, at least no more than I was prior to finishing my first marathon.  Personally I feel like it has given me an opportunity for introspection and a kinship with other runners.  I didn’t run St. George by myself, I was encouraged by my wife and kids and relatives and friends from all over the world.  I ran along side the fast and the slow (more of the slow though), the fat and the skinny, but all of us trying to achieve something great.  Finishing a marathon and multiple triathlons has given me confidence, but also humility.  Running a race is a lot like going through life.  All that you need is to do you best.  You cheer on those around you, thank the crowds, realize that when you cross the finish line, you’re not doing it alone.

I could likely go on and on about all the benefits of running, from the way it helps me solve coding problems at work to the increased energy and time I’m able to spend with my kids.  I’m not even sure some of those things fit under the topic of spirituality, but it’s a hard thing to define.  When I run I feel more a part of the world around me, closer to loved ones and strangers, and closer to understanding that there is far more to each of us that ourselves that just the physical shell that covers our souls.

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I watched on excellent video last week on the relationship between our ancestors and the world around them.  Of particular focus was their recognition of the importance of the sun in the growth of crops, and the stories they developed surrounding the changing of the seasons in order to teach this information to their children.

With this on my mind, it’s been interesting to see how people today recognize and celebrate the changing on the seasons.  I for one went running in the sun yesterday, and didn’t need gloves!  I rode my bike outside for the first time this year last Saturday and this weekend will see the shaving of my winter face for the first race of the season.  Co-workers and fellow triathletes have commented on their antipation for the new season.  One particular triathlete talked about the arrival of the first robin in his garden last weekend as well.

As a kid I used to love bird watching.  Often after school, I would take my dog out for walks and disappear for hours by myself.  On the weekends I would find myself hiding in trees in the garden to watch birds come to a feeder, or else at any number of local parks and reserves watching birds.  As I reflected on this, I realized that I had neglected to blog about an experience I had a few weeks ago.

It was Saturday, it was cold and despite a few days of temps slightly above freezing, there was still a fair amount of snow on the ground.  I headed out to Antelope Island to do a longer trail run and try out a new running jacket (courtesy of my fabulous wife for Christmas!).  On the way out to the island I spotted a Bald Eagle sitting out on the Salt Flats, and not 5 minutes later spotted a coyote running across the snow and ice.

I arrived at the island just feeling grateful to be able to live in a place teaming with so much wildlife.  The island has good drainage and generally less snow, but the path I chose still had a little on it.  For those who know the island, it was the Mountain View trail on the east side of the island, heading south from the causeway.  Where there wasn’t snow, there was mud and so the going was relatively slow.

As I ran though, I could tell I was the first person on the trail since the last snow fall, a week or so prior.  Bison, coyote and rabbit tracks crossed the trail everywhere, mingled with deer and all sizes of bird tracks.  I take a while to get my body into the groove and the nature of the trail didn’t make that any easier.  Around mile 2, things finally started warming, which was when I happened upon a lone male bison.  He scared the crap out of me, which seemed appropriate, since it looked like I may have done the same to him.  I may blog on this episode another day, since I have a picture of it somewhere.

The remainder of the run was rough.  After 2 miles the snow was pretty deep with a hard crust on top, so with each step, I would land, and then drop through the snow.  I finally turned around at 3 miles and started to make my way back.  I can usually do 6 miles in a little under an hour, 50 minutes if I really push it.  I got back to my car 90 minutes after I started - it’s like I walked it, except my legs were burning, my lungs were burning, and I was done for the day.

I headed home, still in a bit of a daze and pulled into the driveway.  As I gathered my stuff, I noticed a movement just to the side of my home.  I’ve seen a Falcon in our area once, and it was just flying over head one day.  This time, he was sitting next to my house on the snow.  As I looked closer, I realized he had hit a bird, and was in the process of having dinner.  I’m not sure how Prairie Falcon’s hunt, but if it’s anything like other members of it’s family, it usually involves hitting a bird with enough speed to kill it instantly.  If there feathers scattered around were any indication, this bird got hit hard…

I’m not the kind of guy to go hunting, and generally I don’t like killing animals, but there’s just something majestic about watching a bird or animal consume it’s prey.  I tried calling inside to get my kids to look outside, but had limited success, so I took a photo with my cell phone, and then carefully snuck out the car and into the house.  The first picture was taken out the front of my car.  Unfortunately my phone doesn’t have the greatest resolution, but at least you can kind of tell what it is.  Picture number 2 is right from right above the bird from my bedroom window.

I believe the prey was a Starling, one of the many which have frequented our neighborhood this winter.  We watched the falcon eat for a while longer, before passing dog spooked him, and he left with what was left of dinner, leaving a pink patch of blood in the sparkling snow, and a ring of feathers.

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