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News, Links and Other Musings

Run and Travel Gems, January 29, 2018

In a world full of information, these are the running and travel stories and articles that stuck with me in the last week.

Good article on training as we get more mature:

https://trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips/train-to-run-faster-as-you-age.html

Some better pictures of some of many fascinating places in Kyoto:

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/14-photos-that-will-make-you-want-to-visit-kyoto

An older post on rehydrating with the correct beverage after a run:

Lastly, a story that broke over the weekend.  I really like Strava but this one make me go hmmmm?:

https://www.wired.com/story/strava-heat-map-military-bases-fitness-trackers-privacy/

More on The Strava Heat Map here:

https://medium.com/strava-engineering/the-global-heatmap-now-6x-hotter-

This excerpt from the data engineering story linked above suggests that a) they took privacy seriously; and b) folks need to carefully consider their individual privacy settings.

“Most importantly, our platform has numerous privacy rules that must be respected:

  • Private activities are excluded outright
  • Activities are cropped to respect user defined privacy zones
  • Athletes with the Metro/heatmap opt-out privacy setting have all data excluded”

And the Strava CEO’s response to the story:

https://blog.strava.com/press/a-letter-to-the-strava-community/

 

Local Discoveries

Sterling to Ashburn along the W&OD

How I learned that Ground Hogs = Woodchucks = Whistle Pigs:

Paved trail on the left, dirt trail on the right. Power lines overhead.

Yesterday I had time to kill while my car was repaired.  While I should have been recounting my Japan runs on this blog, I decided instead to find a NP2R.  The dealership is located near the W&OD trail (officially known as the Washington & Old Dominion Regional Railway Park) in Sterling, Virginia, so I took a 12 mile (6 miles out and back) run.  The W&OD is a regional treasure, a great place for an easy run, bike or hike in the Northern Virginia (NOVA) area.  If you’re a visitor to NOVA, you can find a number of easy access points to this 40+ mile trail.

As I always prefer to run on dirt, I was pleasantly surprised to find a dirt and gravel side trail that paralleled the main paved trail.  Lined with trees for most of the way, the dirt trail is pleasantly isolated and often runs lower or higher than the main trail.

Along the way:

The many data farms in NOVA that are a mainstay of the new economy.

Under a old electrical transmission line that brings the cheap electricity to keep the data farms powered.

The infrastructure that keeps the Nation’s data centers humming.

Under the IAD flight path (only for a mile or so, interesting more than bothersome).

Was hoping for an A380, but this is what crossed my path on the run.

Past a tiny rural church now surrounded by large home developments and big schools.

Past “posted keep out” signs. Past sports fields and a golf course.  Past a craft brewery and a bbq shop.

Nice trail map at Carolina Brothers BBQ…I need to try this place.

On the dirt trail on this part of the W&OD, I didn’t have the fear of being run over by cyclists as I often do on the trail closer to my home.

As I approached Ashburn, I could tell by the increasing frequency of piles to avoid that I had entered horse country…but I did not encounter any horses on the trail during my afternoon run.

My turnaround point was at a quarry operation that I had always been curious about…the trail offers a superb vantage point (with benches) to see what’s going on.

Nice view of the Quarry, standing on top of the benches at the overlook. I always wondered what this place looked like before this run.

At the turnaround I crossed over Goose Creek (more scenic than the quarry) and finished at Two Creeks Trail area which I did not have time to explore.

View from the bridge over Goose Creek.

Ground Hog = Woodchuck = Whistle Pig

And I learned a bit about Woodchucks!

Official site for the W&OD here:  https://www.novaparks.com/parks/washington-and-old-dominion-railroad-regional-park

Wikipedia for W&OD here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_%26_Old_Dominion_Railroad_Regional_Park

Travel Tips

The Shinkansen and a Rail Pass

While in Japan, I discovered what I consider to be the ideal form of transportation:  quick and efficient, comfortable and relaxing, with an excellent view to the surrounding world.  The Bullet Train or Shinkansen.

We used a 1-week Green Class Japan Rail Pass to access the train.  We went for the Green (premium) class because we were traveling over the New Year holidays and wanted to ensure we had a seat– regular class should be sufficient for non-holiday periods.

Gratuitous timelapse video of the ride into Tokyo station:  IMG_2799

If you order overseas, Japan Rail mails you a voucher which you can redeem at the airport upon entry into the country or at any Japan rail station.  When you redeem the voucher (and receive the pass in return), you can also make seat reservations for specific dates and trains.  Lonely Planet says that if you’re doing more than a single roundtrip between Tokyo and Kyoto, the Rail Pass is worth it and I wholeheartedly endorse this.  We found it to be fast and convenient.

I found the websites for both Japan Rail and their U.S. subsidiary to full of good information, but a bit confusing…that may have just been me or perhaps something was Lost in Translation.  Whatever the case, I’m fully convinced that the Rail Pass is the way to go in Japan.

Japan Rail Pass official site here:  http://japanrailpass.net/en/index.html

U.S. Distributor here:  http://online.jtbusa.com/JRpass.aspx

Background on the Shinkansen here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen

Around the Globe

Kyoto, Japan. December 2018

Kyoto:  I wasn’t expecting to go far, but it quickly became the longest run of my trip.  As usual, I left the hotel early (~7:00 am).  I crossed the city to the river and its extensive trail network.  When the trail on the western side ended, I crossed over to the other side.

Under the bridge on the river trail…nice cranes.

Lots of birds in the water- egrets, cranes, and a small bright blue bird that I only caught a quick glimpse of.  A couple of “water falls” along the way, with the pleasant sound of flowing water.

River trail

I ran over to the Imperial Palace complex and was surprised and pleased to find the gardens open.

Wide tree-lined pathways of the Imperial Gardens

Was drawn in by the beauty- ran on large, broad gravel boulevards and standard bush-lined dirt trails thru the beautiful trees.  Couldn’t see the palace, but the gardens were worth it.

Underneath the bridges on the western side of the river trail…signs describing the history of Kyoto.

Came back along the west side of the river that had a small adjacent canal and signage with descriptions of Kyoto’s history and images of paintings from long ago.  Came off the river when nature called, and discovered that clean and accessible toilets can be found in the many 7-11s located around Japan.  Continued my run, orienting on Kyoto Tower, a prominent landmark that eases urban navigation.

Kyoto Tower serves as a good landmark for navigation…especially if your hotel is nearby.

 

Passed a large Buddhist temple buried in the city but within walking distance of the hotel— I had not known it was that close.  Enjoyed the New Year decorations and aphorisms.

Nice to end the run with some philosophical musings.

8+ miles and my second favorite run in Japan.

Much more on Kyoto here:  https://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/kansai/kyoto

Here’s the map of my NP2R Kyoto:

News, Links and Other Musings

Hello world! NP2R is here!

1 Comment

New Places 2 Run (NP2R) is about the intersection of two of my favorite activities, TRAVEL and RUNNING.

I can always find joy in being dropped into an unknown locale with a good pair of running shoes (and socks!).

In these endeavors, the combination of the joy of discovery and the release of endorphins is what I seek…not the comforts of home or a faster mile pace…it’s about gaining a new look on the world from a newfound vista…usually around a ten-minute mile pace.

In the blog, I will share my experiences as I find new places 2 run, new discoveries 2 show and new lessons 2 share.

I’ll share what has worked for me…I’m not sponsored by anyone.

Enjoy the discovery of your own NP2R!