American Coot

[Photo: American Coot (Fulica americana) Click photo to enlarge.]










[Movie 1: American Coot swimming.]


[Movie 2: American Coot call.]


Coots are commonplace at Almaden Lake, as are Canadian Geese and ducks. Coots are water birds and they often hang out with ducks, but they're not ducks. Coots are actually more closely related to cranes. Also unlike ducks, they don't have webbed feet. Instead, they have lobes on the sides of each toe. Aside from their dark appearance, you'll recognize them by their high-pitched quack (Movie 2--the 6 higher-pitched calls) and how they shift their head back and forth when swimming (Movie 1). Though they're exposed to a lot of people too, they seem more timid than the ducks and Canadian Geese; maybe their smaller size makes them shy.

They live year-round our west and their conservation status is LC (least concern).

Today was an early morning 7.6 mile run (round trip) to a point beyond the crossing bridge at Camden.

A week ago today I began following the Jeff Galloway marathon training method (see link below). In a nutshell, you run 3-miles (or 30-minutes) on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by a long run on Sunday. Mileage is increased in half-mile increments, but only on the Sunday run. His method also incorporates 3:1 or 4:1 periodic walk breaks in each run, which lowers the chance of injury. To me, that's a major advantage over more aggressive schedules. Though I didn't walk today, I will as the mileage increases. Cross-training on off days is allowed.

From Mark Bittman's New York Times blog (link below), I also adopted this eating regime: On run days I have a bowl of oatmeal one hour before the run, then have oatmeal again, plus a can of salmon, within 30-minutes of finishing. Oatmeal provides carbohydrates and a little protein, and salmon provides needed protein along with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. I do feel more energized during the run and more quickly recharged after it with this regime.

Jeff Galloway:

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html

Mark Bittman:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/running-low-on-protein/