7 at 7

Got up and out early for a nice 7 mile wander along the Cathance trails. It felt downright chilly out - only 42 degrees by our thermometer! - and I could see my breath as I ran along. There was a silvery mist rising from the river, and the Heath grasses were covered with a thick dew. The river was low, but the water trickling through the ravine and along the rocks created a pleasant backdrop as I ran along the river's edge. There were a number of blue jays crowing overhead, and I scared up what I think must have been a woodpecker - it called out with an eerie cackle and flew across the river into the trees before I could get anything but a quick glance at its back, but otherwise the woods were quiet. I never can manage to actually run fast on the twisty, rooty singletrack through the preserve, but I made a conscious effort to keep the pace "quick," and finished up the lollypop loop in 1:08. Under 10:00 pace anyway :-) Beautiful morning to be out, and a great way to start the day!