Stinky

Stinky, sweaty clothes are a given for runners, but especially this time of year. And most especially this morning.

After a couple of days' worth of avoiding the heat, I ventured out into it again this morning for a run on my "neighborhood loop" (really an out and back). It was good to be back out there. I'd run on the treadmill several times over the last week or two, including yesterday; I'm not convinced that "treadmill running is not 'real' running," especially when treadmill availability is deciding factor between running and not running at all for some folks (myself included some of that time). But there really is something soothing about running outdoors, allowing one's eyes to shift from objects close at hand to treetops several blocks away and back again; trail running, with its ever-shifting scenery and terrain, is the best for this, but even getting out onto the roads is a huge relief after a couple of weeks' worth of staring at the backs of heads, volumeless televisions, and digital display panels on which every element of the run is quantified.

Make no mistake: I was a sweatier than a luchador after only a couple of miles; but the payoff of beauty and scenic variety more than compensated for my becoming the stinky warrior that I was.

Running log:

Monday: 6 miles at the Y, roughly 8 min/mi pace

Today: 6.25 miles on the neighborhood loop at about the same pace