Fall running, and beautiful hikes

We went today to a nature area 20 minutes from our house (like almost everything in Omaha, except for the places that are closer). For a fairly modest fee, we joined, and then we walked some boardwalk trails with very cool environmentally-oriented interactive displays and ended up on the banks of the Missouri River. The kids were awed, Grace especially, and we'll have to plan some canoe trips next year when we've got more time and have sussed out some prospetive put-in sites. (A colleague told me last week that Nebraska gives landowners rights that extend all the way to the bank and include the riverbottom - so you can *float* a river without permission, but not stop or stand up in the water. Said colleague advised getting permission to avoid being shot, and seemed only half-kidding. So, yeah, that.)





In Modest Gains on the Running Front, I heard tell recently that the first runs of fall, where you've got cool air and no humidity and you've run all summer so you're in decent shape, are fabulous. And I'm getting little hints of that - although it's still hot by mid-day, it's less humid here, and cool in the mornings, and I finally did a full four miles with a per-mile speed of under ten minutes, which is still really slow except that I'm in my mid-thirties and have asthma and no especial athletic talents. I'm mentally hedging what I'd like to accomplish with the upcoming 10K - under sixty minutes seems optimistic, but if I make some more gains between now and then and the weather is good, I could maybe swing it.

People are friendly here with the running and it makes a huge difference - faster people often have a nice encouraging comment, bikers ususally have a cheerful "on your left!" and walkers scoot out of your way if they see you coming. I can't quite picture joining one of the several running clubs, but maybe someday when I have more time.

Up next week: the second outing for the fancy graduation gown, which makes the per wearing cost a mere $400! No photos likely since it's opening convocation and not really anything to do with me. But it turns out that my new institution is really title-conscious (the IT people left me a sticky note on my computer addressed to "Dr. Wilder") so I'm going to work the big red gown for all it's worth.