Weather: Rain, 70°F, 88% Humidity, Wind: ESE @ 3 mph; feels like 70°F.Run: 3.1 miles in :20:01 min. @ 8:15 a.m. + 1.4 warm-up & cool-down (4.5 miles total)
Pace: 0:00 min/mi.
Course: The paved trails and roads running through and around the Seneca Park Zoo.
Pre-Run Ruminations: Last year I ran :20:10 at the same race, so I am hoping for a slight improvement. The first half of the run is primarily uphill, but what goes up must come down. Come to think of it, if memeory serves, this particular course may be slightly longer than the promised 3.1 miles... or at least it "feels" that way...The really great news, already, this morning is that it appears as though the heavy heat and humidity of the past eight days may finally break, the chief indicator of this being the steady drizzle which began falling at about 6:00 a.m. As I drink my joe and prepare to prepare to head out for this morning's "race," I find myself less concerned about getting a little wet, looking very forward to the cooler weather which will (hopefully) settle in for a few days (at least).
Post-Race Reflections: When my children were younger, we would frequently visit the zoo, and together we have quite a few fond memories of afternoons spent watching the polar bears swim and the birds fly about the aviary...As the run started, the skies continued to open up further and the rain poured down on us in buckets. It was a glorious day (one where the elements help you feel even more alive) to run with the rains and the animals watching us. I greatly enjoyed the hills and puddles, carelessly trouncing through them when the opportunity presented itself. I carefully took note of the white wolves moving along the the front of their habitat as we ran by. (Their coats were clumped and grayish due to the rains... but, they didn't seem to mind.)
In the end, I placed 35th overall and fourth in my group (M 35-39), improving upon my previous time by nine seconds... HUZZAH!
Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!
2 comments:
That race was a lot of fun. Afterwards, it was remarked that the muddy puddles could have been animal poo run-off. Didn't think about that while splashing through them. Nice job with your time - you're sure to get sub 20 next time.
thanks for sending some positive vibes this way and commenting... i hadn't though about the animal excrement and come to think of it i'm sort of glad i didn't... especially as i was walking through the mud for a short time following the race too!
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