A Better Afternoon Run

Day 26 - October 2, 2007

Today I was smarter. Knowing I needed to run after work today, I went easy on lunch and ate it early to give me plenty of time to digest. A little planning paid big dividends. It was absolutely beautiful out there this afternoon - warm sunny skies and almost no humidity. Running up over OHill, the smell of freshly fallen leaves filled every breath I took in. It reminded me of running with the cross country team through the streets of my hometown, kicking up piles of crimson maple leaves and being entranced by the rhythmic crunching. I miss those days of running with friends for the fun of it - the freedom of running without a care in the world. Those thoughts kept me going as I meandered through the University area.

As I turned onto McCormack for my last assault on OHill, some young college dude went blowing by me. I was impressed with his zeal to attack the hill, and of course, challenged by someone attempting to "race" me to the top. When we got to the Y, he probably had 10 or 15 steps on me. Being the jackass that I am, I refused to let him beat me back to the lab. With every stride I tried to close the gap, and by the time I hit the final gate, we were stride for stride. He looked relieved when I broke pace and wandered over to my car. Probably more so that he wouldn't have to listen to my ridiculously labored breathing, but all the same, I'll pretend that he knew he was beaten.

Chris

Day: 26 .....Time/Date: 5:10PM 10/02/2007 .....Weather: Clear, 75F
Run: OHill-Hospital .....Miles: 5.1 .....Time: 37:22 .....Pace: 7:20 min/mile
Miles to Date: 94.9..... Total Running Time: 11:57:34