Upper Wissahickon

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Just pictures today..

Read Full Post »

The Weekend’s Runs

My goal for the weekend was just ten miles.

Saturday:

I manage a slow 4 mile jog on sidewalks punctuated by frequent AT stops.  I realize too late that I need to avoid hills, which is impossible in my neighborhood, since, well, I live on a hill.  Hull Drive was a particularly bad idea as it is a really long hill.  Average HR 114, Max 142 (at the start).

Sunday:

Learning from my error yesterday, I do a field trip to the lower part of Fort Washington State Park and adjacent parkland, on a little bit of the Green Ribbon Trail.  This is the flattest place I know that’s close by.  People are fishing in the creek, though I didn’t see anyone catch anything.   The ground is completely covered in a yellow flower that looks like lesser celandine, aka pilewort, pretending to be a native wildflower.  (Why would you name a plant pilewort?  It sounds like an unpleasant medical condition. ) All the little yellow flowers are very spring-like  and happy looking, but I’m pretty sure this stuff is an exotic invasive .  (Generally whenever you see something doing really well around here, it’s an exotic invasive.)    Anyway, I do 6 miles on the very-flat bike path and a little bit on the “nature trail”, though I don’t see any nature other than more freaking pilewort.  OK, I’ll stop being a flower-Scrooge now.  It’s Spring, yay, flowers!

I decide to experiment with cadence versus heart rate, using Podrunner.  On flat ground, a HR in my target zone of 121 means a cadence of only 173.  At a normal 180 cadence, my heart rate is between 126 and 130.  Today’s numbers: Average HR 130, Max 189 at the start.

 

The Wissahickon Creek near Valley Green Rd

 

Dog walkers

Yellow patches are lesser celandine

 

 

Read Full Post »

Fort Washington Park

A short 5-ish mile up and back in Ft. Washington Park this evening.   Everywhere there was still evidence of the recent floods..grasses and undergrowth still leaning, a part of the bike trail still covered in 2 inches of water, and areas beside the trail very much flooded and looking like  bayou instead of forest or field.

 

To do this run, start at the top of Militia Hill at the hawk watch platform, head down the State Park Road (toward militia hill rd.) to the Wissahickon Trail sign on the right.  Follow the trail signs toward Stenton.  At the “T”, (intersection), go right  to get to Stenton Ave trailhead, turn around and come back for 4.5 miles.  (As an alternative, left at the fork will take you on a trail  over a foot bridge and to the Day Use Area, where there are restrooms. This adds almost a mile if you go there and come back, then proceed on to Stenton.  The trail is mostly paved wide bike trail, with views of Wissahickon Creek, but there in one road crossing that has a crosswalk and a bit of the trail is along side a road with some traffic.

If you want, you can take Stenton to Northwestern and meet up with Forbidden Drive but there isn’t much of a shoulder on the road in places.

Read Full Post »