Carriage Road Run

We headed up to Bar Harbor this morning, and managed to time it perfectly so that Sam took a good nap after we stopped for lunch. In fact, she slept right through Ryan dropping me off at the Eagle Lake parking lot and even after Ryan had stopped the car at the marathon expo. Tired girl, I guess! It was a beautiful afternoon, with temps hovering right around 60 with bright blue skies and a strong wind blowing. The plan was for me to get in a good run on the carriage roads this afternoon. After looking at the maps, I decided that I could run a nice route around Witch Hole Pond and Eagle Lake, and get in around 11 miles. So, after Ryan dropped me off, I donned my Nathan pack, quickly hit the bathrooms, and came out to find Jamie in the parking lot! He had just dropped off Kate for her long run. He told me she was going clock-wise around Eagle Lake, so I thought I'd run counter-clockwise so we could say hi out on the trails :-) But first, I decided to stick with my plan and run out to, and around, Witch Hole Pond.

The woods were beautiful, with some gorgeous color. I only stopped for one photo along the way, so you'll just have to trust me that I was getting some nice views the whole time I was out there!

Marsh view

The carriage roads are a joy to run on. It's basically like road running without the impact. I was feeling a bit out of sorts due to having just sat in the car for almost three hours, and I was definitely feeling the french fries from lunch sitting in my stomach! They were delicious, but not an ideal afternoon running food :-) However, I was still able to keep up a snappy pace. The grade of the roads is smooth and runnable, and the fine gravel makes for an ideal surface. Throw in some crisp, dry autumn air, and it doesn't get much better!

As I was rounding Witch Hole Pond, I saw two men with two little dogs, stopped along the path. One of them was holding a huge camera and had peering intently up into a pine tree along the water's edge. I asked them what they were looking at, and it turns out there was a Bald Eagle perched up on one of the branches above. I stopped to take a look, and sure enough, there was the eagle. Of course, all I could see was its white tail feathers and brown rump, but there was no mistaking it! Cool! I didn't stop for long, but was thrilled to have such a fun sighting! And right near Eagle Lake too. Go figure :-)

I came back through the parking area with my Garmin reading 5.5 miles and the time reading right around 45 minutes. Perfect. As I ran up the slight incline along the right side of the lake, who should I see ahead but Jamie and Kate?! Unfortunately, Kate was feeling her IT band, and cut her long run short. Bummer. But as always, she was in good spirits, and had at least gotten in one spin around the lake! Along this stretch, I ran into a lot of walkers and bikers. I even played leapfrog with an older couple on their bikes. I would overtake them on the hills; they would glide by on the downhills. I think I ended up getting back to the parking area first, though :-) Anyway, I really was enjoying my run. I didn't feel like I was working too hard, and it was just so nice out. And I was running along the trails in one of my favorite places in Maine. It was just plain nice.

I turned the final corner at the end of the lake to find Ryan, Sam, Kate and Jamie walking towards me. It was perfect timing, as I had said I thought I would be out there for 1:30, and the 11.4 miles ended up taking me 1:35. Sam was looking for ducks on the "blue water" but with all the wind, we could find none. Maybe tomorrow!