is about running

Somehow, the planets aligned yesterday afternoon and I found myself with about a 50 minute window to go running. I had just gotten home from running errands, and Meghal was just getting ready to feed el beskrownito and she said she didn't need me for anything.

Sure, I was still dealing with a lot of congestion, and my nose was running non-stop, but I've already come to appreciate how rare these opportunities can be. So I quickly threw on my shoes and shorts and headed over to the park on Robert E. Lee. It was still pretty mild while I was running errands, but the temperature had jumped up to around 80 in the meantime. I figured I'd do the Congress loop, which meant I could be back home in less than an hour.

Down I went on the trail by Barton Creek. I had forgotten how pretty Barton Creek could be. I know it had only been a week and half, but nevertheless, I was genuinely surprised to see the vivid blue-green water. I know this is gonna sound corny, but I immediately thought about how exciting it will be bring el beskrownito down here in a few years for swimming and canoeing, and that it's pretty damned nice to only be a mile away from all this.

Once I got on the main trail where there were lots of other runners, I thought more about running. Mostly what I thought was there was no way I could have my usually Saturday 10-miler. I felt decent enough, but you know how it is when you've had some time off... You just feel kind of sluggish.

My goal was just to try to stick to an 8 minute pace since my head was so full of mucus, but I got caught up in passing some college students on the north side and ended up running the last 3 at 7:30 or less. It's kind of ridiculous how much I hate to get passed when on casual runs. Nevertheless, the effort level was comfortable. I was always breathing once per four or six strides, which I think is pretty relaxing.

It was nice to get out.... I'm not familiar with the runner's high that has been being discussed as of late, but it does settle my mind. And since I've pretty much written off any goals for the immediate future, I didn't fret about times or pacing.

Hmm, that reminds me, I kind of like this New Balance commercial called "Love/Hate". It's worth checking out.

After my run, I got home and M was done feeding and el beskrownito was drifting in his food coma... I had enjoyed being outside so much, I figured I'd take him for a walk around the neighborhood. So I buckled him into his car seat, plopped it on to the Bob, and away we strolled for a 1 hour trip through Barton Hills. Sadly, he fell asleep before we even left so he didn't get to enjoy it. But perhaps that's a good thing since I got stuck in a 10-15 minute rain shower. I closed both canopies as much as I could, and I guess it was good enough, but I was still stressed enough to find a spot under a tree and call Meghal in hopes of getting picked up. (She didn't answer since she was also taking a post-feeding nap.) The rain passed soon enough, but I felt like a little bit of an idiot for getting stuck in the rain with my one week old.

Another thing I noticed, it's not like I haven't walked/ran/biked around my neighborhood before, but people have never really acknowledged me before. When they see you with a stroller, they all want to say hi and ask how you're doing. I don't recall ever wanting to befriend people who were pushing strollers, so I found this a little weird.

Finally, I had hoped to get out this morning to cheer on the people I knew who were running the Cap 10K. Since M and I were awake so much last night, I slept through it, but I must offer kudos to DV for running a ridiculously fast 37-something and finishing in front of several people I don't think he (or I for that matter) would have ever thought he'd finish in front of. (Just imagine how fast he could have run with me cheering him on, ringing the little bell on my bicycle as he passed...) Way to make the leap!