Out Thrice

Taken on the Iron Horse Trail (see below). Not sure what it is, but I think it qualifies as "urban."

I made it out three times this last week, and today (Sunday) have tried to spare my knee by taking a bike ride (look at me--cross-training, yet). This week, in honor of being in the middle of reading Coming to Our Senses, as I ran I tried to take in my surroundings with a nonjudgmental awareness. No saying "gee, that's pretty" or "yuck, look at that." In honor of my attempts at mindfulness, which were only partially successful, I have here a few images that show a real and ever-present side of urban running that's not usually apparent in the photos I take that are so dear to me of flowers, trees, and skies .
This is a curb that runs along a parking lot I often run by. It's of interest not for its aesthetic qualities but for its status as my personal balance beam, which I've used over the months to the point that I can actually now run (not teeter) the length of it. It is one of two long curbs I run, in the interest of honing my balancing skills so I never take another hideous fall like the one I took in 2006.

This next one is just to let you know that I don't always run on bucolic trails (you knew that). My most usual route takes me by a supermarket, and the road is often clogged with delivery trucks. I just hark back (w-a-a-a-y back) to my days as a skier when my no-good friends and I would try to navigate the slalom gates that the ski area management sometimes left in place all afternoon after a morning's competition. I zip around those trucks with an easy swivel of the hips (or that's how see myself in my early-morning mind).

Moving right along here--the report for this last week shows that I ran up to King track Tuesday morning and ran some speed. I had to laugh, like I always do when I do "speed," because I labor like an Olympic sprinter just to catch up to the younger folks who are deep in their laziest jog of the week. Be that as it may, I ran 6 x 200 meters an then 1 x 400. As I loped the 1.75 miles back to the house, my body told me I'd worked. A good feeling.

Thursday I went out before dawn on the Ohlone Greenway for 6.25 miles. It was a good, energetic, peaceful time. Can't ask for more.

Here's a nice bridge on the Iron Horse Trail, where I ended up Saturday with the runners' group from my running club. I'm not showing it to you because it's urban--but because I think it's cool. Hey, it's my blog.

With Saturday's trail run my total weekly mileage came to 18. It's not 20, but I felt OK enough about it to skip running today. I can run four days a week, but my knee and also my back are a bit gimpy right now so biking seemed the most prudent alternative. It was a clear and blustery morning, so off I went, from my house out to the Pt. Isabel dog park to meet my friend R. and her pooch. The approximately 8-mile ride was a good if fairly mild workout, and seeing the dogs was a treat. We met a couple of dogs with unusual names: Fred and Ralph. Hmmm.

My ride took me past the race track. I loved these bales. Gave me some insight into why they call the ponies hay burners.