Iron Jean-Paul: Italian Chef's Kiss Run

Irondequoit Bay from Empire Boulevard. (6/13/20)

Weather: Partly Cloudy, 50°F (Real Feel 45°F), Wind NNE @ 10,with gusts up to 17 mph; 63% Humidity at 7:00 a.m.

Distance/Time/Pace: 14.7 miles, 2:18.29, 9:26 min/mile

Route: Culver Rd. to Empire Blvd. to Plank Rd. to Creek St. to Browncroft Blvd. to Panorama Trail to Penfield Rd. to East Ave.

14+ scenic miles through
Rochester and Penfield.

Once I processed early yesterday morning that Saturday's forecast represented -15°F swing from last Saturday, I committed to getting in a long(er)run in today. With proper attire, 40-60°F is my environmental "sweet spot," a fact that makes the impending summer weather somewhat intimidating. When I woke up at 5 a.m., temperatures were predicted to be 50°F. As a result of this good fortune, before leaving the house, I vacillated between wearing a light jacket over my running shirt or tee, before pulling on bright orange cotton tee (I know, I know, "cotton kills"--it's just an old habit like wearing a security blanket) and heading out. The choice ended up being the right one as I was comfortable the entire way--potentially deadly cotton be darned!

Corner of Parsells Ave. and Culver Rd. (6/13/20)

The planned route today was a familiar one which supplied some especially picturesque cloud formations along the way. Automotive traffic was very light and there was a solid blend of sunny and shady spots along the sidewalks and road shoulders. The uphills were moderate and were followed, naturally, by sloping downhills. As I ran, the image of the Italian chef's kiss emoji found its way into my thoughts as the perfect visual (minus the snark inherent in the numerous social media memes) for how the run was coming together. As often happens when running and feeling well, the idea pops into one's head that "if the weather weer like this on race day..." While today was not a race day, it was a running day, so I took advantage of the moment.

Heading down Empire Blvd. to Irondequoit Bay. (6/13/20)

This weekend's weather may be Spring's fond farewell before giving way to the hot and sticky days (which we in Western New York have already experienced, but with little consistency... yet) become the norm. One tries to begin each day with the idea that "It's going to be a good day", and this morning it literally was. I even have the actually-kind-of-not-bad cell phone pictures to prove it!