Morning walks, afternoon track meet

I'm beginning to get hungry -- and it'll soon be lunchtime, thank goodness. I managed to work off breakfast with a long walk that took me partly over trails through the woods, and partly down a running trail along the streets. An hour of walking, a couple of good hills, and a little over 7000 steps on the odometer!

I hadn't planned any of this, but the day dawned overcast and relatively cool (70 ish, which is hot for mornings around here), and I had a strong urge to go out for a walk, so I did. As I neared the trailhead into the woods, I had another urge to walk in the woods for a short while, decided to do so as far as the utility right-of-way, then take that and return to the street via another trail. I've never been on any of that section, but I know from maps that the trails connect and I thought it'd be easy enough to find the trail down the hill. Wrong!

After climbing up a steep hill on the right-of-way (I was actually proud of how quickly I scuttled up this longish and steepish trail!) I saw a trail downhill and followed it for awhile. Eventually it became clear that it was headed too far in another direction from where I know the other trailhead is, plus it was clearly a little-used and not maintained trail, so I retraced my steps. Another time, I'll walk from the other trailhead and see where they connect.

After that, I walked the originally intended running path to the first cross road then returned home. It was a good walk. Naturally, I was soaked from the inside out and had to wait awhile, down a lot of water, before the body stopped sweating and I could shower. That done, it's now saying food! food! food!  Soon.

Another big track meet in Eugene today, this one the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Big names -- previous Olympic medal winners trying to pin down a spot in the worlds later this summer. Plus some active Oregon athletes, too, and plenty of alumni. Looking forward to watching that after lunch.

So, that's my day. Edging towards 100 degrees out there today, so I'll be trying to stay cool enough inside. Much better than that cottage I was in last summer, however!