Springing Forward
Well, one can only hope that the direction is forward. For now it seems to be. Last time I posted I indicated I'd talk later about my annual A's Spring Training trip to Phoenix and the running I did there. How can that trip already be so far in the past?
At that point I was running fairly well and still anticipating the Oakland half with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. From Phoenix I flew back to LA; then a week later it was off to the East Coast for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday.
From Westbrook it was back to Berkeley, with only three days to go before the half. To summarize re. the half--the ORF Half Marathon--I finished, number 2538 out of 3748, and seventh in my division (there were fifteen of us). I was extremely happy with the outcome. Up until that day I still had doubts in my mind about whether I would ever run a long race again. I did have some hip/butt/etc. pain after about mile 7, but it was manageable with stretching and walking a bit.
Now I'm back in Berkeley and probably will be for a while, with the occasional week-long trip back to LA to strengthen my connection with the people and the place there that I cherish. I'm continuing to run fairly strong, if slowly and not for huge mileage, and have also gone back to swimming a couple of times a week. Thanks to Katie C. for introducing me to the surprisingly vigorous Senior Exercise class at King Pool!
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| At any rate, here is the signature photo from that trip. A rain-washed morning trip to the Salt River and its iconic pedestrian bridge. Heavenly! |
At that point I was running fairly well and still anticipating the Oakland half with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. From Phoenix I flew back to LA; then a week later it was off to the East Coast for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday.
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| All the while I was running--in the cold, in the rain, in the sun. And past a pond in Westbrook, CT. |
From Westbrook it was back to Berkeley, with only three days to go before the half. To summarize re. the half--the ORF Half Marathon--I finished, number 2538 out of 3748, and seventh in my division (there were fifteen of us). I was extremely happy with the outcome. Up until that day I still had doubts in my mind about whether I would ever run a long race again. I did have some hip/butt/etc. pain after about mile 7, but it was manageable with stretching and walking a bit.
Now I'm back in Berkeley and probably will be for a while, with the occasional week-long trip back to LA to strengthen my connection with the people and the place there that I cherish. I'm continuing to run fairly strong, if slowly and not for huge mileage, and have also gone back to swimming a couple of times a week. Thanks to Katie C. for introducing me to the surprisingly vigorous Senior Exercise class at King Pool!
Here's a piece of the cheery mural painted on the front of the pool facility. Makes me want to get wet!
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