Hogsback Prep--Random Relaxation and, well Randomness

I woke up today to beautiful weather...the sun was shining and barely a cloud in the sky. What better way to relax then go on a short run? As I got ready I became a bit skeptical...at this time of the year you never know what the temperature is like out there. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a comfortable 54.9 degrees with winds no greater than 5 mph as I put on my shoes to head out.

When I got back it was a little over 57 degrees, what better way to relax than going on a short walk?

I'm not sure what kind of tree this is, but I believe it's some sort of crabapple tree.  It looked unusual with the yellow colored berries. Sorry if its a bit hard to see against the pine tree.

We've had quite the abundance of wildlife around here lately, which is unusual considering out location (we're closer to urban rather than rural areas). These are the hoof prints from a small herd of deer that's been roaming around (I'm not sure what the deal was--maybe last nights full moon!--but I saw them out at around 4pm yesterday). A mixture of adults and fawns, as you can see. There's also been a flock of about 10 turkeys and we actually saw a coyote on our way home from the store earlier this week! 

It's interesting what you see when the leaves fall off the trees. I saw numerous bird nests, as well as this  yellow jacket hive.

I am an avid blog follower. It's a great way to connect with others who enjoy the same things that I do (honestly I'm more of a lurker, but I'm trying to change that!). Bloggers are also filled with great tips, ideas, and info, such as the website challenge.meyouhealth.com that Dietitian on the Run posted. When you sign up (for free, don't worry!) you get daily emails that give you one "Daily Challenge" to complete each day. Yesterday's was "eat something red", which I will accomplish today because I signed up at midnight and wasn't exactly hungry :). Today's is, "Share or write down the biggest benefit you get from being active." Check :). So here I am sharing it with you!

I don't consider there to be one "biggest benefit" to being active. There are several reasons why I love running. One of the larger benefits, though, is that I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I've completed my daily run. I could do nothing all day (which is hard for me because I always feel like I should be doing something), and then when I go running I feel fulfilled. I love that I'm doing something that's healthy for me, and I love that I love it!

So there it is.

Today was also the Woldumar Nature Center Run A Munk Half Marathon-10K-5K. I've been wanting to run this for a while, but couldn't bring myself to do it with the Hogsback Wilderness Trail Run that I'll be participating in tomorrow. "Why not just run the 5K?" you might be asking. Well, I can't. Just can't. For some reason I have to run the largest distance a race offers...it's a personal challenge, I guess. So here's to next year, Run A Munk!

It's getting a little windier as the temps slowly increase. Hopefully they won't become to brisk so that I can go out for another walk.

I'm quite excited to be visiting family tonight and tomorrow!  Come back for a visit either tomorrow or Monday for a race recap and, most likely, stories of family shenanigans :).

Thanks for coming along on my random-relaxation-race-prep :).