Lake Youngs

Lake Youngs was this weekend, put on by Arthur and Jennifer M, and friends, and it was a kick. Three laps, 9.6 miles each, around a fenced watershed preserve in Renton, where the wild things are, I think. The run is almost exclusively on dirt, and it isn't technical, except there are a few rocks here and there, which need to be watched out for when tired. It's a Proud Mary course....rolling, rolling...big trail a keep on rolling.... One real aid station each lap, with some jugs midway. Roughly 120 participants, with a little more than half doing all three laps.
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I really really like this run, probably more than I should--it's my second year. I like that it starts at 7 AM and that you can start at 6 AM if you want to. I like that it's fast, so that you're done by noon. I like that everyone knows everybody. I like the barbq afterwards, and the nice Patagonia shirt I've gotten each year. What I really like, besides that 7 AM start--I like that a lot actually---is how the trail rolls up and down. That just suits me well. Flats grind me down after a while, and I'm never in such great a shape as to be crazy about verts. I pushed a little harder this year, and dropped my time by a half hour, but didn't overkill. I was fine with it. This course makes you feel like you're in shape. Afterwards, you get home early enough to do a bit in the yard, and then watch a couple flicks with popcorn. That's what I did, anyway.
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Sunday, I got up and headed down into the Nookachamps and said hello to the cows. Eight mile loop. Farmers were out doing their thing--the paper says it's a tough year for local farms. I saw an owl fly in low circles over a field, right above four foot tall grass, looking for critters. It went into the grass and got one and that was all I saw of the owl. The sun is out, finally, yes!, and the longest day of the year is this week. Next up for me...possible North Cascades adventure by Rockport or Ross Lake, or Seafair.