Green Choices Wednesday

Green Choices --

We all make hundreds of small choices every day, many without even thinking about them.

This is not a pretty picture.  It represents the choices made by many people as they enjoyed the natural beauty of Village Creek, a local treasure.  It is the newest of the Texas Paddling Trails, as  designated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department:
 http://204.64.0.110/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/inland/village_creek/index.phtml.

As I kayaked on this beautiful creek Saturday, I picked 47 aluminum cans and 8 plastic bottles from the water and from sand bars along the creek.  Such a shame that everyone cannot enjoy the gift of nature without leaving trash behind.

I'm sure that none of the readers of this blog, a blog that highlights environmental concerns, would ever consider leaving a piece of litter behind.  That is a green choice, and I applaud and appreciate that.

Several years ago, as I was running on a beautiful wooded trail in a park, I came to a realization.  I occasionally saw a piece of litter on or near the trail, and always thought, "I'd never do that.  Why do people do that?"  One day, I saw a walker on the trail stop, pick up a piece of litter, and take it with him.  That both impressed me and kind of shamed me.  At that moment, I realized that was another choice-- to walk or run past the litter, or to pick it up.  Two levels of choice.  The first choice, to not litter, or to not make a litter problem worse.  And a second choice, to pick something up, and make the problem better. Since then, I put a bag in my pocket when I go to a park to run.

I decided I don't want to settle for not making the world worse.  I also want to leave it better.

                Village Creek, Hardin County, Texas, August 7, 2010.

Back on Track - Good Long Run and Recovery Run

After missing my long-distance run for two weekends in a row, I was really anxious to get back on track with a good long run, followed by a recovery run. On Saturday morning, I tried the Gulf Terrace Hike and Bike Trail, part of the Beaumont, Texas city park system.
(click on photos to enlarge)

This isn't a wooded dirt trail like I'm used to, but it's well thought out and well done. The complete trail is a measured 3.5 miles, part of which is a 2.0 mile loop.  This lets one add 2-mile multiples to the base mileage to build different totals.   

It is a concrete trail through field areas, wide enough for both foot and bicycle traffic, and has some nice features for runners. 

There are signs marking each mile, and markers on the trail at each quarter mile, making it easy to track pace. 






There is even a mileage sign at 3.1 miles, which is nice if one is training for 5K/10K. 

My last long run was 18.2 miles. After missing my long run for two weekends in a row, I decided to resume a little lower, at 13-15 miles.

I felt good after a few miles, and decided to try doing the 3.5 miles twice, with two additional 2-mile loops added to each, for a total of 15 miles.

Although not the wooded park I'm used to, it has it's own natural beauty (despite some oil drilling on adjacent property).  There are a few trees, and a lot of native grasses and wildflowers to be observed.  There is no shade, so it won't be my favorite venue in the Summer; in Texas, shade is your best friend in the Summer.  However, for Fall, Winter and Spring, it should be a good option.  It's only 2.25 miles from my house, so it's convenient.


I got on the trail at about 7:30 AM Saturday.  At 60 degrees, it was a little warmer than I like.  It was getting close to 80 by the time I finished.  However, compared to some of my long Summer runs (80+ degrees and 98 % humidity at sunrise), not too bad.   After two weeks of reduced mileage, I didn't care about pace, just logging good distance and running hours.  I finished the 15 miles fairly comfortably, 2:40:38, 10.71 pace.

Sunday, I followed with a recovery run.  It always feels good to lightly warm up again while still a little achy from the long-distance run.  I returned to the same location and just ran the 3.5 miler, at 38:44, 11.07 pace.  It was 65 degrees at 7 AM, a little warmer yet than Saturday.  I'm looking forward to the cool front on the way for Monday or Tuesday!

My last good week had been 32 miles total.  My most recent two weeks had fallen to 23 and 18.5 miles.  So, this got me back on track; a good  base mileage week of 36 miles, and a good long run.

Eco-Run:
I was pleased to see that there was less litter along the trail than I normally saw in the Baytown parks, although on the way out I found a few plastic bottles on the adjoining soccer field, and  a couple of cans by the road leading in.  Total Eco-run pickup for the two days: 2 aluminum cans, 14 plastic bottles, 1 32-ounce plastic cup, 1 empty mint box, and 1 empty GU package.

Recovery Run/Eco-Run and Cool New Gadget

I ran my recovery run in the park this morning, 3.2 miles, even slower and easier than usual.  I started out a bit sore from Saturday's long run, and running hurt a bit until I warmed up completely.  I experienced a somewhat unusual sensation after yesterday's 18 miler; immediately after I finished the run, when I first stood still, I had such a burning feeling in my calves like I've never felt before.  It was like they were on fire for a minute or two, and then the sensation subsided.  It was just a little different from a normal workout burn; it's hard to describe...

A recovery run is a perfect pace to combine with an Eco-Run.  The slower pace allows a better view into the underbrush and a little more time to look.  I took advantage of the easy run to look farther beyond the edge of the trail for litter, and bagged a lot of plastic and aluminum for recyling as I passed by.  One last Eco-Run in this park before I move.

Don't you hate litter?

I also found an interesting new gadget for the blog, a moon phase indicator (see sidebar).  I sometimes look up moon phase information to get an idea of how much natural light to expect on pre-dawn runs.  This gadget will put it at my fingertips on the blog...

Eco-Running

On weekends, I run the trails through our local parks. As I run, I pick up litter along the way, bring the recyclables home and put them in a recycling bin to put out at the weekly curbside pickup, and drop the non-recyclables in the trash barrels in the park. Why?
1. Because I hate litter.
2. Because I hate the idea of recyclable items not being recycled.  Such a waste of resources!

Here's the return from my Sunday run in the park. 

I carry a reuseable bag in my pocket, but I'll fill a discarded plastic shopping bag instead, if I see one on the ground.

These were all laying along the trails in the park.  Disgusting!

Here's where this stuff belongs:  in recycling buckets!

I've been doing this for several years, and I knew that there had to be other people out there doing the same thing.  Earlier this year, I came across the Eco-Runner blog, which has since evolved into the Eco-Runner website, founded by Sam Huber in Milwaukee.  Sam has combined a passion for running with a passion for a cleaner world, and called it Eco-Running.  I'm pleased to see the spirit of volunteer environmental cleanup growing from an individual activity into a movement.  Check out these links, and...

Run Green!