a coney island morning

i was very nervous about running today. i was planning on jumping my mileage to 9 miles from 7, which is a decent jump considering i haven't run long in 3 weeks. i would be running on my own. and this week was not the best week ever as far as training was concerned. all factors leading me to pretty much dread this morning's run despite my determination to muddle through it.

i made sure to leave work on time to assure i could eat at a decent hour. we have a bazillion veggies from the local csa that we have to use so we had salad and pasta with pesto that included scapes instead of garlic. it was de-lish.

so delish that i passed out on the couch sometime before 11pm. i stumbled to bed and set my alarm for 6 to gulp down my breakfast. my man had gotten my oatmeal for my 6am breakfast but i hadn't been all that specific about what kind so i ended up with those instant packs of apple cinnamon. i sleepily mixed some up some, took a bite and was instantly shocked awake from the sheer amount of sugar. wowy. it's been a while since i had pre-packaged oatmeal i guess. i had intended on getting up again at 7:45...but the damn snooze button kept getting pressed somehow. i'm such a sleepy head. so by the time i got up, dressed, filled the oh-so-fluorescent-water bottles i was pushing 9am by the time i left the house.

it was warm but not too warm. i made a very conscious effort as i took off up the hill and through the park to go more slowly than my week-day runs. i would certainly need energy for the end. i turned onto ocean parkway and was delighted to see that most of the path was still in the shade, and with all the trees would probably remain mostly so.

as easy as that route is - flat and straight - it is also kinda boring. i was without ipod and without company, which made for a lonely boring run. i was also watchless, and kept track of mileage to make sure i was hydrating enough by the street signs. i knew avenue r was 5 miles and avenue z would be 6 miles - and that would be where i would get my treat - a double latte power gel. mmmm.

the run was pretty uneventful all the way down to coney island. i probably could have used a little bit more water, but i knew that as soon as i got there, water fountains would be all over the place. miles 4.5 - 6 were roughish for some reason, but as soon as i had that powergel my legs had new life. finally, i crossed under the highway and could see the boardwalk. i grinned widely, and a random lady grinned back as if to say "yes, you have arrived!"

while the sun was out in full effect, so was a lovely ocean breeze. i spied a water fountain, refilled the bottles, took a nice long drink and soaked my hat in water before placing it on my head. it was sooooo nice. i figured i had another 2.5 miles on the boardwalk and the scenery more than made up for the boring run down ocean parkway.

coney island remains a sea of faces, accents and characters so varied and wonderful. despite the forces at work to modernize and clean it up, it remains an authentic mish-mash of culture that new york is known for. as i tromped up and down the boardwalk i smiled at the families with blankets and umbrellas in tow; the older, bronzed leather-backed couples, strolling the boardwalk and saying hello to their compatriots; the crazy looking eccentrics wearing too much clothing or just a speedo; the other runners and bikers looking hot but pleased with making their way through this little patch of nyc-goodness.

i finally hit stillwell avenue - my place to stop. i stretched and people-watched, pleased with myself for ending my run on the boardwalk...pleased with myself for making the 9 miles with less pain and suffering than i thought...and thankful that i had made my way and started a life here, in new york, so many years ago.

today's mileage: 9.1
time run: 1h 40m (approximate)
season mileage to date: 70.7