Tuesday, July 17, 2007

rainrun




Up there, that's the weather today. Doesn't look so menacing in thumbnail format, but it was downright hostile during the latter part of my a.m. run. Golly, w/ less than a mile to go, I figured I was good as homefree, no matter the rapidly darkening conditions overhead. But hey, what fun would that've been? So yeah: crack went the sky, down came the wet. The first 30 seconds: completely tolerable. Thereafter: Heavens to Betsy! I'm sure I've said it before, but I don't think I've ever run through this kind of wet. A solid sheet, it was. W/in a minute, my shorts were sticking to my legs like Fruit Roll-Up on plastic, my contacts swirling about my corneas like ships lost at sea, my ponytail whipping my cheek like a belt against an unruly child's bum. (Not a proponent!) Bedlam! Seriously, I couldn't see w/o shielding my eyes w/ both hands, and even then times were rough. I did get an offer for a ride home, which I promptly refused. ("Hardcore! You're the best!") Anyway, I was so close to home, and any opportunity at catastrophizing, I'm hard-pressed to turn down.

Speaking of running, it continues to go mighty well. The bouts are still very short, but I've been plugging along at sub-8:00 pace, which feels faaaantastic. I love flying down Third Ave., stride long, sun on my forehead, shoulders thrown back (forever working on the posture thing), while red brick buildings w/ faded lettering pass by on either side. I'm pretty into my street routes these days, favoring the clanking and rattling of auto shops and mattress factories, the shouts of Carhartt-clad workers, the smell of deli coffee and toasted bagels, to the rustling of trees in the park. Running in industrial settings makes me feel like I'm in on some secret, adding to the magic of the sport.

Posted by princess kanomanom @ 11:03 AM