Category: Running

This week’s long run: baby geese

I went for a long run yesterday, the first after a week an a half of hiatus due to muscle inflammation. It was good to be back, even if only for 8k, and even if this run was slower than my usual pace.

Caught the sun rising just over the river at ebb. The clouds made it particularly beautiful.

A little bittern and a night heron were fishing next to two fishermen as the sun rose:

I encountered a family of Egyptian geese both on my out and on my way back. The baby geese run out front and their parents follow, keeping an eye on them at a more sedentary pace:

The female is the lighter coloured goose, and the male is all decked out:

A little bittern was out hunting during the ebb tide:

Look at that sunrise. Is it not worth getting up early and going out for a run for that?

How I Use My Notebooks: Running Planner

The thing that you learn very quickly about running is that no matter which Couch to 5k plan you started with, if you want to have any hope of persisting with your running you are going to have to tailor make your own running plan.

I make a fresh plan every three months or so, and I always create it in my current Moleskine journal. In the spirit of showcasing notebooks in use, that are not created for Instagram, this is my latest running plan:

Things are penciled in with an H pencil, and I ink them in with gel ink pens as they happen. Green highlighted blocks show me where things went according to plan, and other blocks represent where things had to change due to injuries or circumstances.

I’ve been running for 8 years now, and I have around 6 years of running plans in all my previous notebooks, each one looking pretty much the same: messy and functional.

This Week’s Long Run: Evening Birds

Saturday was supposed to rain cats and dogs, so I pushed my Saturday morning 10K to a Friday evening one.

This is a terrible picture of a heron, but that’s what I have I’m afraid.

Momma Egyptian goose keeps an eye on her swimming little ones. Not pictured, the rat that was foraging for food a few meters from them.

Sea scouts out in their boats:

A pair of Egyptian geese watching over the river:

It was very windy, so the surfers were out in force:

This Week’s Long Run: Ducks, Gulls and Cafe Cats

This week’s long run was another one in perfect weather. Things are heating up though, so I’m savouring these as long as they last.

This little bittern basked in the morning light. You can almost hear him admiring his reflection in the water.

A gull was standing guard over a few rowboats at one of the river piers:

A mallard sunned itself at the riverside:

And a couple of ducks grazed together:

10k run done:

I went for a post run coffee and a sandwich and was greeted by the cafe’s cat:

This Week’s Long Run: The Calm After the Storm

Last week’s long run was the Tel Aviv Marathon 10k (I broke my PR!), and the week before that was a majorly stormy day, so it was nice to get back to an early morning 10k after a hiatus.

There was a storm on Thursday, which meant that the sea was choppy, sand-brown, and there were even more seabirds about than usual.

That was 10k done and dusted, and as a bonus I’m adding some pictures from yesterday evening’s 5k, because the sea at sunset now is extra gorgeous.

How majestic is that sunset?

Tel Aviv’s Gordon and Metzizim beach, flooded after the storm:

This Week’s Long Run: A Day Early

It was supposed to rain heavily on Saturday morning (of course it only drizzled), so I pushed my weekend 10k from Saturday morning to Friday evening. There was a very brisk wind and I could see the storm clouds gathering as I ran (it did rain heavily throughout the night), but otherwise it was perfect running weather, not to hot, not too cold, and dry.

There were a lot of people out and about in the park, so I had less wildlife photo-ops than usual. An Egyptian goose taking a nap at the riverbank:

The “sea scouts” taking their distinctive green boats out:

Cormorants getting ready to sleep on a eucalyptus tree:

All in all it was a good run, even though I still prefer to get my long runs in in the morning. And to those who listened to this week’s “This American Life”: Tootles!

This week’s long run: baby ducks

Started out extra early today, so ran most of my run in the dark.

Two geese and a coot:

Mom and dad duck bringing their babies to the water’s edge:

Duck and egret ignoring each other on the exposed riverbed:

10k done, and my Egyptian goose friend approves:

This week’s long run: it’s worth getting up after a fall

On Sunday’s running group meet I tripped on a bit of uneven sidewalk in an unlit section of the park. I blocked my fall with my hands and knees, saving my head but tearing my tights and the skin off my knees. So I’ve been on a running hiatus until Friday, giving my knees time to heal. This meant that this week’s 10k was slow, as I was both out of shape and wary of the sidewalk, but at least I got it done.

Spur-winged lapwings waded along the riverbank:

The cormorants, wintering near the river, have a thing for this eucalyptus:

Two Egyptian geese perched on the river edge:

Rowing on the river:

A little egret fishing:

I also saw a moorhen and a pied kingfisher, but didn’t get the chance to photograph them.

Another 10k in the books:

This week’s long run: dark to light

Started this week’s long run in the cold, very dark pre-dawn, with a deserted promenade mostly to myself. Things started looking up near the halfway point, with the sun rising and warming things up a little. I’ve had almost a week’s running hiatus because of the rain, so getting back to it on Friday and today (Saturday) was painful, but in a good kind of way.

My iPhone 8 died on me on Wednesday night and is now getting checked out in the lab, so these are iPhone 6 photos, so you’ll extra have to forgive me for the quality. And with that, here are a few pretty, pretty pictures:

This week’s long run: bitterns, herons and seagulls

I set out at 6AM for my long run and was grateful for it, after last weekend’s pouring rain and freezing cold. A heron greeted me as I entered the park (both it and the fishermen behind it were fishing, but I think that it had more luck then they did, judging by their sour faces).

The owner of the paddleboats was trying to get the seagulls off his boats using homemade contraptions made out of string, poles and old CDs. I wished him the best of luck but had a feeling that it wouldn’t really work. 

Another heron was fishing right across the paddleboat pier, and I only wish that I had a better camera so you could have seen more than a whitish smudge.

On my way back I got to witness just how effective the paddleboats’ guy’s contraption was (not very). You can almost hear the gulls laughing.

A bittern was perched on the the reeds, ready to pounce.

You know that you’re a terrible fisherman when a little egret is standing right next to you, just waiting for you to fail and throw it your small fry.

10k done and dusted. Can you hear the gulls laughing?