Boggy trailslog -- Sat. August 30

Wanted to get a run in before SRRC, as I'm thinking about the Half we're doing next w/e. A bit late for a long one, as I didn't get out till nearly noon, so planned a Holland glen via the trail way. Started via road to keep it shorter: 9 to Federal, down to the railway, then hit the trail. Okay until the isthmus between Lake and Channel Drives: halfway along this the trail bottom disappeared and it was maybe 18 in. deep water with smelly mud on the sides and bottom. Not sure if it was beavers of the trail bottom had gotten below water level and had filled up via a rodent hole leak or something, but I didn't want to turn back so I sploshed on. Soggy feet for the rest of the run, of course. Fine from there out to 9, crossed over and went up the Glen okay -- rain last night and muggy cloudy weather made the rocks and trail (recently reblazed) tricky, but okay. Turned round at the top and back down the other side, crossed 9 again and back to the Robt Frost/M&M trail intersection, where I tried the blue blazes instead. Got a bit stuck at several points and ended up running along the railway as there's really no other way around the water. Then I tried to do a bit more on the old embankment next to Federal, but again got slowed down by brush. Ended up doing the remainder by road, up to 9 and home from there. Stopped the clock just after the supermarket:

Time: 1:07:25
Distance: 7.34 miles
Speed: 6.5 mph

Comment: Like a real cross country run -- how'm I going to get my shoes dry for tomorrow?! (not a chance, I suspect). Got pretty mosquito bitten too, it being pretty muggy, though the sun came out as I arrived home. Good plugging training, I guess; there was one sub-7 mile in there (and 2-3 over 9!)