Six-Mile Paddle at Lacamas Lake

Photo by Jana Bitton
Mike Bitton and Jud Clark relax at the beach in Lincoln City, Ore., after spending a week together working on Mike's kayak that Jud built last year.

Last week my friend Jud Clark came to visit from San Jose. He wanted to help me put foot pegs into the wooden kayak he built last year, and gave to me on a long-term loan. We got the foot pegs in, and even came up with some great deck rigging.

We took my boat, and a second strip-built kayak Jud made, to my favorite local training haunt, Lacamas Lake. Where else can you do all three core adventure racing disciplines (mt. bike, run, paddle) so close to my home? Nowhere else.

We launched and I promptly dumped my boat, filling the cockpit with water. Note to self, buy a bilge pump! Jud loaned me his and within minutes, I was ready to try again. No probelms the second time around.

We paddled the length of the lake (about three miles), then continued up Lacamas Creek for a few hundred more yards. We took a little break to stretch our legs, then paddled back to the place we put in. We were out for two or three hours, so I'm definately counting the trip as training!

The boat is much easier to steer with foot pegs in place. The wind came up quite a bit on the way back to the launch, and with the pegs to brace myself on, I felt very much in control. Thanks, Jud!

Three Mile Run at Lacamas Lake

Today I ran the same route that I walked earlier this week along the Lacamas Heritage Trail. Once there, I turned around and walked for half-a-mile, and finished by running the final mile back to my Jeep. I'm sure this sounds trivial to a lot of people, but run/walking three miles today was a huge accomplishment for me! Several times on the run back, I wanted to stop and walk during that final mile. But I kept at it, and when I crossed the final marker, I felt so great!

One of the things I like about trail running is that it makes me feel like I belong among all those other runners out there on the trail. They only catch a glimpse of me jogging along, they don't know I'm a beginner. For all they know, I may be training for a marathon! I imagine some of the runners I see are beginners, too. Those that are still a little round in the middle like me are probably beginners. The lean and the beautiful ones who pass me like I am indeed walking are probably not beginners. Whether I can become that lean, I do not know. But I do know this: The more I run, the more I feel like a runner. That will get me where I'm headed, which is to a fitter, happier me.

Three Mile Hike at Lacamas Lake

Today I decided it's been too long since I've done any training. To ease back into the routine, I went for a hike at my favorite neighborhood trail along Lacamas Lake. I walked for 30 minutes, which got me just beyond the 1.5 mile trail marker. Then I turned around and walked back. I decided not to do any running, just in case my knees decided to revolt. During my hour-long hike, I saw several fish in the lake, a cotton tail rabbit on the trail, and a deer in the woods about 20 feet off the trail. It was so refreshing to be outside and moving again. The forest is thick along the trail, and ferns cover the ground. I'm so lucky to have this trail so close to home!