I signed up for the Portland Marathon. Again, I won’t be running it. I’m not a runner, but I am a walker. I would like to improve my time from the last marathon I walked, so now I am training for it.

The Portland Marathon is on October 9. I found a training plan that looked good and I started it this week.

My first outing was supposed to be 3 miles, but it ended up a little over 4. This is a familiar route. I walk around Seward Park fairly often, because it’s close to where I live. The loop around the park is 2.5 miles, so I figured if I tag on a little extra I’ll get around 3 miles. Apparently I tagged on a little more than I intended. But that’s okay! Better too much than too little.

I set out fairly early in the morning. At least early for me. Around 8 am. The sky was mostly cloudy, but with some sun struggling to break through. Temperatures in the comfortable low 60’s.

Seward Park is one of the nicest large city parks in Seattle. A slice of the wilderness within city limits, it’s the South End’s equivalent to Magnolia’s Discovery Park, North End’s Carkeek or  West Seattle’s Lincoln Park.

Seward Park is big and it’s wild and it has lots of hiking trails. But for an easy walk, you can just walk around it. There is a wide paved trail that loops around the park. It could easily accommodate vehicle traffic, but fortunately you don’t have to worry about that. Some cyclists like to use it, but mostly it’s just foot traffic.

The park some some wildlife! There are geese, of course (so watch out for geese poop).

And lots of bunnies! I counted five on this walk.

You’ll also see lots of squirrels (this, of course, is not a squirrel, but another bunny) and some turtles out by the water. There are birds too. I’ve seen large herons here and even eagles!

Over the lake you can glimpse views of downtown Seattle.

And an old cabin down by the fish hatchery.

• This Walk: 4.1 miles
• Elevation Gain: 180 ft
• YTD “Urban Hiking Miles: 75.6
• YTD Biking Miles: 602.8
• YTD Hiking Miles: 36.8