I keep coming up for the idea for this post while I splash around my usual 2.5 mile circuit of the bridle path on especially cold/wet/dismal mornings, seeing not another soul beyond a few bedraggled dog walkers. It's already composed in my mind...here I am in one of the biggest cities in the world; running though that cities largest and most popular park space; doing laps around one of the most trafficked exercise paths in the world and I'm able to cover five entire miles without seeing even ONE other runner.
That's how it goes in my head anyway, but without fail, with half a mile to go, some other bundled up jogger passes me from the other direction and my blog entry melts away into the nearest icy puddle. That happened today as well, but I have nothing else to write about, so my one little fellow runner will get her fair credit for being out there in chilly slop along with me. It really wasn't that bad, but I guess enough people thought it looked unpleasant enough that they made other plans.
Besides, I think I really needed that run today. This week has been a rough one at work, full of unpleasant and sensational stories about white men and black women finding it impossible to get along and communicate in civil, respectful ways. We think we've come a long way in the country when it comes to matters of race and gender, but having to deal with both issues at once apparently still throws people for a loop. Outside of that, one of my colleagues that I really like and respect was fired for plagarism, so I'm feeling shocked and sad about that. AND I've got some worries related to my visa application for an upcoming vacation that I really, really need, so I'll be terribly disappointed if that falls through.
The good thing about all this is that it keeps my mind off of the half marathon on Saturday, at that at least is something of a relief.