And Eich-Wolf has really aged. Yes, I believe that routes age. You remember the good things that happen on a route and the bad things. I also like to rotate my routes, so that I am always seeing different roads, different landmarks, etc. Once I run a course, I choose not to run it again until I have cycled through all the routes of that distance.

Of course, with the ersatzlauf that rule does not apply. Now in downtown Kenosha, my current ersatzlauf is a beautiful course. Both versions are probably my best courses, but they (Eich-Wolf) especially have become the clutch runs.

They are the courses I use when the weather is marginal, too hot, too cold, too windy. They serve that purpose well, given me a confidence that I am never far from home. They are also the courses I use if my bowels are rebelling and I believe there is a substantial "risque d'explosion." I know that there are regular restrooms that I can count on.

The problem now is, that running a course in these conditions cause a build-up of bad memories, such as feeling woozy, feeling thirsty and feeling weak (or feeling bloated like you are about to launch into orbit.) So there have been a few days where I started looking at the ersatzlauf with a kind of dread. I start thinking about how hard it is. In truth it has one slight hill on 59 Street. I start thinking about how hot it is. In truth, it is largely by the lakefront so there is usually a breeze. I start thinking about how far it is between bathrooms. There is a park restroom at the 800 meter point and my apartment is at the end of the loop, or 2500 meters.

Fortunately, I did get a good run on Eich-Wolf on Wednesday. It was still 83F, but the lake breeze did help.

Still, what this month has driven home to me is that even an excellent ersatzlauf begins to feel ersatz and stale after enough uses.