Short run, 3 miles; 33:00; didn't measure HR; splits 9:46, 10:59, 12:15; RPE 5-8

I turned right when leaving the driveway, instead of my usual run. Going right takes me down a very steep hill, intimidating to run back up, but a short run seemed like the right time to tackle it. When I started running 4 years ago, the first time I ran all the way up was quite a day. But I've still avoided doing it as often as possible! It's the kind of hill our cars barely make it up in the winter (we've gotten stuck there more than once). It was nice to go a different way, and there are some lovely views from the top of the hill.

There was a just-hatched butterfly in the road whose wings still hadn't expanded all the way, so I picked it up to move to safety. I love how some insects are reluctant to climb onto a finger, but then so reluctant to leave it that it's hard to shake them off. I think it was some kind of skipper. Wildflowers that I can remember this week (since I don't have a long run here to catch all of them): moth mullein, swamp candles, catalpa (there's a tree on the run I did today, not on my usual course), snowberry, some new kind of pink (might be an escaped garden flower), white sweet clover, blue vervain.

I've been trying to download my Forerunner data to my computer and getting incredibly frustrated with com port/irq problems. Why the heck isn't it a USB connection? Argh. I have to give up until we get back.
- posted by Hilary @ 2:46 PM