I woke at dawn, the orange curtains pulled back a bit, revealing a thick gray sky, which I mistook for a hideous smog. I could not see the mountain, and decided to wait until the late afternoon for my run. I opened the glass door to let some air into the room and smelled rain - I put on my glasses and examined the shadowy rooftops below - little puddles scattered about. The sky was covered in a wrapping of clouds, not smog, so I decided to get out the door and enjoy the moistness of the morning.
I felt a little sluggish, and decided to run easy and short if I did not feel my energy pick up. Once I got to the fitness park I began to loosen up and my pace quickened and I began to float over the ground in an effortless stride. The air was humid and my hair became damp from the little droppings of moistness which saturated the air. I had forgotten to bring my water bottle but I soon found out I had no need for it. The recent runs under a high noon sun had made this damp morning feel cool and light. No doubt this was the main reason for the ease of the run, without the heat my body was accelerating into a high gear. My breathing was easy, stride quick, legs strong. I finished off the run with a fast 400 and had the beautiful sensation of becoming more relaxed the faster I went. I recovered 30 seconds after stopping, hardly having broken a sweat. I looked at the stop watch on my ipod and saw that I had run for 81 minutes, which could be considered a long run, but since I ran 90% of it at a fast pace called it an extended tempo run.
When I got back to the apt I felt light and strong, and decided to walk 2 miles to the Free Bird for a Sunday Breakfast. I saw Lisa and she said hello and made small talk. Then Maria walked into the room and said hello, and asked how my run was. I was startled by this question and mentioned that her powers of observation were keen. I asked how she knew I had been running, and she replied that she could see the glow! This made me smile, indeed, I felt as if my insides were charged with a colorful power of light.
A little later I showed Maria where the fitness park was on my map because she expressed an interest in running there. To further persuade her I sent her an email with the 20 pictures I took of the fitness park a few days ago, telling her it was more pleasant than the treadmill.
I am now back at my apartment and am feeling a high level of energy. I have the desire to return to the fitness park in the late afternoon for more exercise, but maybe I should hold off until tomorrow morning.
