Running Report

By way of update, I did buy new shoes a couple of weeks ago, in fact, I've logged a good 30 miles on these puppies now and I'm happy to report that my foot is healing nicely with no new injuries to report.

My new shoes after 30+ miles (soaking wet this morning)

This morning I made my way to the track in the pouring rain.  I love running in the rain because it is so easy to breath and I can run a lot further without my lungs feeling hot.  I got up to the gate and found it chained and padlocked!  Who does this to me??

So I had to do my running in the road this morning.  The good new is that before 5:00 a.m. there are very few cars on the road and on this rainy morning I saw no other joggers.  The bad news is I have always disliked running on the side of the road.  Here are the top 10 advantages of jogging at the track versus the road:

1. I can take off my jacket, hat, gloves, etc and leave them along the way.  I'll be back around and pick them up sometime before I leave.
2. No potholes, rough spots, rocks or open manholes to trip over or fall into.
3. No cars shining their headlights in my eyes.
4. No cars making me run closer to the edge of the road or pushing me onto the grass or sidewalk.
5. The soft rubbery surface is much easier on my knees and ankles.
6. I don't have to think about where my feet are landing (open manhole, etc) so I can focus my mind on important topics like planning a wedding or writing my next philosophy paper.
7. I can easily figure the distance I've run--each lap is a quarter of a mile.  I switch back and forth between lane one and lane two to keep track of the odd/even numbers and how many miles I go.
8. Running the bleachers are a great way to get a cardio boost at the end of my run.
9. The bars surrounding the track are great to hang onto while I stretch before and after my jog.
10. Most people prefer running the roads around this town, so I often have the track all to myself!